$72 Million Funds Neoantigen-based Cancer Vaccine Candidates

(Precision Vaccinations News)

Nouscom recently announced the completion of its Series C equity financing, raising $72 million that will be used to continue advancing and expanding Nouscom’s wholly-owned clinical pipeline to achieve multiple clinical value catalysts.

As of November 13, 2023, the funding proceeds will support the following initiatives:

Readout from Nouscom’s ongoing randomized Phase 2 clinical trial for NOUS-209, an off-the-shelf vaccine targeting 209 shared neoantigens, in combination with pembrolizumab for the treatment of Mismatch Repair/Microsatellite Instable Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.

Final readout from the ongoing Phase 1b study and advancement of NOUS-209 monotherapy in Lynch Syndrome carriers investigating the potential to intercept, prevent, or delay cancer before it occurs. LS carriers have a genetic predisposition to and, consequently, a higher risk of developing certain cancers. Promising initial results from this study were reported on October 31, 2023.

Completion of a Phase 1b study evaluating NOUS-PEV, a personalized cancer immunotherapy, in combination with a checkpoint inhibitor in patients with advanced melanoma and entry into randomized Phase 2 trials in indications with high unmet medical needs.

Nouscom has also exclusively out-licensed VAC-85135, an off-the-shelf immunotherapy developed under a multi-project agreement, which is currently under evaluation in a Phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of Myeloproliferative Neoplasms sponsored by Janssen Research & Development and Bristol Myers Squibb.

Dr. Marina Udier, Chief Executive Officer of Nouscom, commented in a press release, “…. This financing will allow us to further accelerate development across our wholly-owned clinical portfolio reporting multiple clinical trial readouts, including from our ongoing randomized Phase 2 clinical trial with NOUS-209.”

“These Phase 2 data, if positive, have the potential to position Nouscom’s neoantigen-based cancer vaccines amongst the most thrilling developments in the field.”

According to a Review Article published by the journal Frontiers in Immunology in February 2023, Neoantigen vaccines are based on epitopes of antigenic parts of mutant proteins expressed in cancer cells. These highly immunogenic antigens may trigger the immune system to combat cancer cells.