{"id":38794,"date":"2020-04-06T16:38:49","date_gmt":"2020-04-06T20:38:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sciencebusiness.technewslit.com\/?p=38794"},"modified":"2020-04-07T16:07:11","modified_gmt":"2020-04-07T20:07:11","slug":"trial-to-test-electronic-aided-covid-19-vaccine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/technewslit.com\/sciencebusiness\/?p=38794","title":{"rendered":"Trial to Test Electronic-Aided Covid-19 Vaccine"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"SARS-Cov-2
Scanning electron microscope image of SARS-Cov-2 virus, responsible for Covid-19 infections (NIH.gov)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

6 Apr. 2020. A company developing cancer immunotherapies is adapting its electronic-assisted process to create a vaccine protecting against Covid-19 infections. OncoSec Medical Inc.<\/a> in San Diego and its partner Providence Cancer Institute<\/a> in Portland, Oregon are asking the Food and Drug Administration for clearance to test its vaccine for safety and immune response in a clinical trial.<\/p>\n

OncoSec makes treatments for solid tumor cancers that harness the immune system, but also weaken the target tumor cells with electronic impulses to encourage a robust response. The company’s technology<\/a> uses the cancer fighting capabilities of the interleukin 12<\/a>, or IL-12, a natural protein in the body that fights off invading pathogens, but can also be directed at cancer. When used by itself as a therapy, however, interleukin 12 can cause serious\u00a0unexpected adverse effects<\/a>, often as a result of its promoting production of other proteins in the body.<\/p>\n

OncoSec overcomes this problem by simultaneously aiming electroporation<\/a>, or mild electronic pulses, at the tumor as DNA plasmids<\/a> with genes producing IL-12 are injected into the tumor. These pulses, says the company, weaken the tumor cell membranes, making them less resistant to IL-12, allowing for smaller and safer amounts of the protein.<\/p>\n

The company\u2019s treatments are also designed to generate a systemic, or whole-body, response by \u201ctraining\u201d the patient\u2019s T-cells in the immune system to recognize the cancer, wherever it may spread. OncoSec is testing its technology<\/a> combined with other cancer drugs in clinical trials in patients with melanoma, triple-negative breast cancer, and head and neck cancer.<\/p>\n

To prevent Covid-19 infections, OncoSec is adapting this technology into a vaccine to deliver IL-12 and a piece of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The vaccine, called CorVax12, combines IL-12 with the SARS-CoV-2 S glycoprotein<\/a> produced by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, or NIAID, part of National Institutes of Health. OncoSec is licensing the S glycoprotein, also called the SARS-CoV-2 spike, from NIAID. OncoSec and Providence Cancer Institute believe the CorVax12 payload, delivered with electroporation, can produce a robust and extended immunity that protects against Covid-19 infections.<\/p>\n

The clinical trial will be led by Providence Cancer Institute researchers. The trial is expected to enroll healthy volunteers to test the safety of CorVax12 , as well as its ability to produce an immune response. The study will also assess OncoSec’s Apollo device to deliver electroporation with a vaccine. OncoSec tested the Apollo device<\/a> in anesthetized animals where electroporation was delivered into the lungs and liver, with no adverse effects reported. Providence Cancer Institute filed an investigational new drug application<\/a> with FDA, in effect a request to conduct a clinical trial, of CorVax12.<\/p>\n

“During a pandemic such as Covid-19,” says Christopher Twitty<\/a>, OncoSec’s chief scientist in a company statement<\/a>, “any opportunity to find a medical solution should be fully investigated.” Twitty adds, “We hope to make a meaningful impact on Covid-19 as well as gaining a deeper understanding of its associated immunobiology.”<\/p>\n

More from Science & Enterprise:<\/p>\n