CVac

CVac, short for ‘Cancer Vaccine’, is a potential immunotherapeutic agent that developed in Australia. CVac works by attaching an adjuvant, mannan, to the tumor cell surface protein MUC1, a glycoprotein commonly expressed on a variety of cancers. CVac is often compared to the immunotherapeutic agent Provenge, which gained FDA approval in 2010.

CVac was developed by the biotechnology company Prima BioMed (Nasdaq: PBMD) through to Phase II clinical studies between 2001 and 2015. After inconclusive clinical data in ovarian cancer 2013 and 2014, Prima announced in February 2015 that it had ceased recruiting into CVAc clinical studies and was seeking commercial partners for the product. Evidence from the CAN-003 Phase IIb study has suggested that the product may have utility in ovarian cancer patients in their second remission.

Treatment method

CVac is an ex vivo dendritic cell priming technology involving MFP, or mannan fusion protein, where a fusion protein of MUC1 and Glutathione S-transferase is coupled to oxidized polymannose. The dendritic cells are the orchestrators of the immune system. ‘Priming’ dendritic cells involves exposing those cells to disease antigens in order to get the immune system to properly recognise the antigen and mount an appropriate response. With CVac this takes place outside the body of the patient (ex vivo), with dendritic cells obtained by leukapheresis. The antigen in this case is MUC1, known to be overexpressed on a variety of cancer cells and in CVac MUC1 is conjugated to the carbohydrate mannan to facilitate uptake by the dendritic cells. CVAc can be administered subcutaneously, whereas Provenge is intravenous.

CVAC

CVAC may refer to: