Everest Medicines announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared its Investigational New Drug (IND) application for EVM14, a novel tumor-associated antigen (TAA) vaccine. This milestone marks Everest's first internally discovered program to receive FDA clearance and represents the first mRNA therapeutic cancer vaccine from the company to be approved for global clinical development.
EVM14 is an off-the-shelf mRNA cancer vaccine targeting multiple tumor-associated antigens, designed to treat various cancers including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and head and neck cancer. The vaccine utilizes mRNA encoding multiple TAAs encapsulated in a lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery system.
Mechanism of Action and Preclinical Results
Following intramuscular injection, EVM14 is taken up by antigen-presenting cells (APCs), where the mRNA is translated into target antigens. These antigens are then processed and presented by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules to T cells, triggering an antigen-specific immune response. The activated T cells migrate to tumor tissues, recognize and kill cancer cells expressing the target antigens.
Preclinical studies have yielded promising results. EVM14 induced a dose-dependent, antigen-specific immune response in mice and significantly inhibited tumor growth in multiple syngeneic tumor models. The vaccine promoted T cell infiltration into tumor tissues, increased T cell activation and cytotoxic function, and decreased regulatory T cell (Treg) population and cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) exhaustion.
Notably, EVM14 demonstrated the ability to induce immune memory and prevent tumor recurrence, offering hope for long-term cancer-free survival. Furthermore, when combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), EVM14 significantly enhanced anti-tumor activity, supporting the exploration of combination therapies in upcoming clinical trials.
Strategic Significance for Everest Medicines
Rogers Yongqing Luo, Chief Executive Officer of Everest Medicines, emphasized the significance of this development: "With FDA IND approval, EVM14 has become Everest's first internally developed mRNA therapeutic vaccine to receive clearance for global clinical development. This marks a critical breakthrough, advancing our mRNA technology from early-stage research to global clinical trials and highlighting our growing capabilities in mRNA technology."
Luo further explained that this milestone represents a new chapter in the company's 'dual-engine' strategy, evolving from a license-in model to a balanced integration of both license-in and in-house R&D innovation. The company plans to submit an IND application for EVM14 to the China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) in the near future.
Addressing Significant Unmet Medical Needs
The development of EVM14 addresses substantial unmet needs in oncology. According to Globocan 2022 statistics, nearly 20 million new cancer cases were diagnosed worldwide, with approximately 9.7 million cancer-related deaths. Lung cancer remains the most prevalent cancer globally, responsible for almost 2.5 million new cases and 1.8 million deaths annually.
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for 85-90% of all lung cancers, with squamous NSCLC comprising 25-30%. However, targetable genetic alterations occur in fewer than 10% of squamous NSCLC cases, underscoring the urgent need for new treatment options.
Additionally, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the seventh most common cancer globally, accounting for an estimated 890,000 new cases and 450,000 deaths annually. More than 50% of patients with locally advanced HNSCC who complete definitive treatment ultimately experience recurrence or metastasis, leading to poor prognosis and high mortality rates.
Comprehensive mRNA Platform and Pipeline
Everest has built end-to-end capabilities within its proprietary mRNA platform. The company is advancing multiple mRNA therapies targeting cancer and autoimmune diseases, including personalized cancer vaccines (PCVs), tumor-associated antigen (TAA) cancer vaccines, immunomodulatory cancer vaccines, and in vivo CAR-T therapies.
EVM14, along with EVM16 (a personalized cancer vaccine currently in clinical development) and in-vivo CAR-T programs, will serve as foundational elements of Everest's innovation strategy in oncology and autoimmune diseases. The company's first internally developed personalized mRNA cancer vaccine, EVM16, completed its first patient dosing in an investigator-initiated clinical trial in March 2025.
Over the past four years, Everest has utilized its AI- and big data-powered mRNA platform to accelerate target identification, sequence design, and delivery optimization. The company's proprietary algorithm for mRNA design, now in its third generation, has significantly improved target protein expression and continues to evolve through big data-driven modeling.
Everest's mRNA manufacturing facility in Jiashan, Zhejiang Province, China, is designed to comply with global cGMP standards and to produce at clinical and commercial scale, further supporting the company's ambitious development plans for its mRNA therapeutic pipeline.
