Date: 2014-12-19
Type of information: Licensing agreement
Compound: Malp-2
Company: AmVac (Switzerland) the Helmholtz Centre (Germany)
Therapeutic area: Cancer - Oncology - Infectious diseases
Type agreement: licensing
Action mechanism: Malp-2 is a lipopeptide. It was discovered in the culture medium of the human cell line HL 60 as an activity that enhanced the cytolytic capacity of Concanavalin A-stimulated mouse thymocytes. It was then found that the activity in the culture medium correlated with a contamination of this cell line with Mycoplasma fermentans and M. hyorhinis. In mice, Malp-2 has increased the production of antibodies, and it has also accelerated the healing of chronic wounds in obese mice. These animals develop diabetes and it is as difficult for their wounds to heal as it is for their human counterparts. Furthermore, Malp-2 has been injected during surgery on humans into tumours that were inoperable. It has proved possible to extend the survival of patients with pancreatic cancer in this way. Detailed information on Malp-2 and its applications can be found on the website of Professor Peter Mühlradt.
Disease:
Details: * On December 19, 2014, AmVac announced a licence extension in the contract between AmVac and the Helmholtz Centre for the adjuvant Malp-2. The licence for Malp-2 was successfully extended in November 2014. The adjuvant can now be used for the first time for all preventive and therapeutic applications, for example in cancers, especially pancreatic cancer, opening a new chapter in the success story of Malp-2. Previously, the adjuvant has been combined in the preclinical phase with a variety of vaccines, enabling the dose of the vaccine to be reduced while simultaneously increasing its effectiveness. The exclusive licence agreement now agreed with the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Braunschweig, AmVac will be able to significantly extend the scope of application of Malp-2. The focus here is on the treatment of certain cancers such as pancreatic cancer, where the drug offers promising opportunities. Malp-2 can be used together with other drugs or in isolation. The next development step is a clinical phase II study, which will involve the accurate detection of the adjuvant\'s effectiveness depending on the dose as well as further clarification of the mode of action of Malp-2 against cancer. \"With the multitude of options, we can significantly strengthen our pipeline and broaden the range of applications significantly,\" highlights Melinda Karpati, CEO of AmVac. Also to be seen as a positive sign is the fact that, under the licence agreement, the Helmholtz Institute will increase the equity interest it has held to date in AmVac.
Back in 2007, a study conducted at the University Hospital Heidelberg showed that Malp-2 can open up new possibilities. The study was primarily designed to demonstrate a safe use of Malp-2 in pancreatic cancer patients and, secondarily, to confirm the initial indications of its effectiveness against cancer. It was successfully shown that Malp-2 can be used safely in people and that it leads to a significant prolongation of survival time. Initial indications point to an efficient activation of the body\'s immune system, which is directed against the cancerous tissue. This is a process that is normally actively suppressed by the cancer.
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