Helocyte Announces $3.22 Million Grant from the National Cancer Institute for Triplex Phase 2 Clinical Trial Program
Summary
Triplex was initially developed by City of Hope, one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States, and exclusively licensed to Helocyte in 2015.Triplex has shown potential to enhance the transfer of CMV immunity from HCT donors to high-risk transplant recipients and reduce the use of antiviral prophylaxis that can impair and delay CMV immune reconstitution, said Don J. Diamond, Ph.D., Professor, Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope in Los Angeles, California and the grants principal investigator. Preliminary work for that transplant population was carried out under NCT04060277.Lindsay A. Rosenwald, M.D., Fortress Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, We are very excited that Triplex, being progressed by Helocyte, is the subject of this NCI grant which will enable the further evaluation of the vaccines potential to control CMV in patients undergoing high-risk HCT. Helocyte will provide clinical materials to support the trial.About TriplexTriplex is a universal (non-HLA-restricted) recombinant Modified Vaccinia Ankara viral vector vaccine engineered to induce a robust and durable virus-specific T cell response to three immuno-dominant proteins [UL83 (pp65), UL123 (IE1), UL122 (IE2)] linked to CMV complications in the post-transplant setting. Fortress has established partnerships with some of the worlds leading academic research institutions and biopharmaceutical companies to maximize each opportunity to its full potential, including AstraZeneca plc, City of Hope, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital, Nationwide Childrens Hospital and Sentynl Therapeutics, Inc. For more information, visit www.fortressbiotech.com.Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are based on managements current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could negatively affect our business, operating results, financial condition and stock price.