Immunicum recently optimized its core-concept into a new type of vaccine concept, which currently goes under the name COMBIG. The new concept circumvents the need to combine the new adjuvant with tumor antigens or tumor cells for creation of an effective cancer vaccine. Since the new COMBIG-vaccine can be administered directly into tumors, recruitment of monocytes/pre-DCs and activation of DCs occurs inside the tumor where there already are extremely high amounts of tumor specific antigens (these antigens are available for DC-uptake since COMBIG-DCs induce a concomitant NK-cell recruitment and activation that will lead to NK-cell mediated tumor cell death), which the recruited DCs can engulf and thus get loaded with. There are four major advantages of this concept:

1. The vaccine is basically able to target any cancer indication. The only requirement is that it can be injected intratumorally.

2. The vaccine is able to mass-produce.

3. The concept utilizes patients’ own tumor antigens, thus guaranteeing that the optimal battery of antigens is used for each and every patient in the activation of a tumor-specific immune response.

4. Immunicum does not have to in-license antigens from third parties
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See figure below for an illustration of the COMBIG-concept. Below is also statement from one of the world’s leading cancer vaccine authorities, professor Angus Dagliesh, principal of UK-based Cancer Vaccine Institute, supporting Immunicum’s COMBIG-concept:

“We recently met with representatives of Immunicum who presented the COMBIG concept of allo-DC vaccination. Our own experience with allo-vaccines (much of which was done in collaboration with Onyvax Ltd), in the context of whole cell vaccination, has been very convincing. The concept that allo-vaccination with DCs triggers a cascade of immune responses including innate (NK cell activation) and subsequent adaptive, antigen specific responses is interesting and is deserving of further development. We are fully supportive of this work and believe that this allo-DC model may well result in the initiation of anti-tumoural responses where in vitro manipulated autologous DCs have limitations both in terms of GMP manufacture and in their capacity to generate consistent clinical responses. The use of intralesional delivery is of further interest to us and is supported by several recent publications on the intralesional delivery of cellular therapies. Our own clinical experience suggests that such an approach would be of benefit in melanoma and a range of other solid tumours”.