DxVx, a South Korean biotechnology company, announced it is in advanced licensing discussions with Oxford Vacmedix (OVM) to acquire development and commercialization rights for OVM-200, a therapeutic cancer vaccine targeting survivin protein. The agreement would grant DxVx exclusive rights in South Korea and China, with plans to expand clinical trials across major Asian markets.
Clinical Development Progress
OVM-200 has demonstrated promising results in its Phase 1a clinical trial conducted in the UK, where twelve patients with advanced cancer were treated across three indications: non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), prostate cancer, and ovarian cancer. According to Oxford Vacmedix, initial results showed "very good safety and a strong immune response." The trial is currently advancing to Phase 1b, treating an additional 24 patients at five leading UK hospitals.
The vaccine represents the first clinical application of recombinant overlapping peptides (ROPs) technology, a novel platform developed at Oxford University's Department of Oncology. OVM-200 targets survivin, an anti-apoptotic protein overexpressed by cancer cells that enables unregulated growth while stimulating an immune response.
Technology Platform Advantages
The ROP technology platform offers several potential advantages over existing cancer vaccine approaches. Unlike traditional peptide vaccines that target single antigenic peptides effective only for limited HLA types, the ROP platform is designed to work across approximately 30 different HLA types, potentially increasing treatment efficacy across diverse patient populations.
DxVx highlighted the production advantages of the ROP platform, which produces one long overlapping peptide that is cleaved into individual peptides by human enzymes in vivo. This approach is expected to provide superior production and cost advantages compared to existing peptide complex technologies that require producing and mixing multiple peptides.
Commercial Strategy and Timeline
Under the proposed licensing agreement, DxVx would receive rights to conduct clinical trials and manage regulatory and commercial development in South Korea and China. The company plans to proceed with Phase 1b and Phase 2 clinical trials in major Asian countries, including Korea, China, and potentially India.
A DxVx official stated they aim to "launch it through an accelerated approval that will allow patients to benefit early from effective drugs before all clinical trials are completed around 2027." The company is also considering future collaborations with global pharmaceutical companies if necessary.
William Finch, CEO of Oxford Vacmedix, commented: "We are very pleased that our largest shareholder will be licensing OVM-200 for South Korea and China. DxVx undoubtedly have the expertise and capabilities to run clinical trials and to commercialise in these countries."
Safety Profile and Future Applications
As a recombinant protein-based vaccine, OVM-200 is positioned as having significant safety advantages over mRNA or viral particle-based vaccines. DxVx emphasized that recombinant protein vaccines have "proven safety over a long period of time" and represent a traditional vaccine approach with established clinical safety history.
The company believes that with adequate data demonstrating OVM-200's ability to improve chemotherapy patient prognosis and prevent relapse, the vaccine could potentially be developed for cancer prevention applications. However, such preventive applications would require demonstrating extremely high safety standards for administration to healthy individuals.
DxVx currently holds a 43% stake in Oxford Vacmedix as its largest shareholder, having provided Series A investment in 2018. Oxford Vacmedix is currently seeking Series B funding to advance OVM-200 to Phase 2 trials and to progress its second lead vaccine, OVM-100, targeting HPV-related cervical cancer, into Phase 1 trials.
