Heat Biologics
Heat Biologics Inc. is a US biotechnology company focused on the field of cancer immunotherapy. This company's cancer vaccine is called ImPACT, short for Immune Pan-Antigen Cytotoxic Therapy. ImPACT is in Phase II clinical trials and is being tested in NSCLC and bladder cancer. It is based in Morrisville, North Carolina.
Public | |
Traded as | NASDAQ: HTBX |
Industry | Biotechnology |
Founded | 2008 |
Headquarters | Durham, NC |
Key people | Jeffrey Wolf (Chairman and CEO) |
Products | HS-110, HS-X20 |
Website | www |
Impact
ImPACT is a proposed cancer vaccine based on live, genetically-modified, irradiated human cells which secrete a broad spectrum of cancer-associated antigens as well as an immune adjuvant called gp96. Potential advantages of this product are use as an 'allogeneic', that is, 'off-the-shelf' immunotherapy, and its applicability to a wide range of cancers. It is in phase II trials.
ImPACT originated in the late 1990s in work done at the University of Miami which showed that gp96, a heat shock protein resident in the endoplasmic reticulum could be made immunogenic if part of gp96 was replaced with the Fc portion of an IgG1 antibody to engineer a secretory form of gp96. In vivo gp96-Ig generated a strong CD8+ T cell response[1]
ComPACT
ComPACT is a combination of a pan-antigen T cell priming vaccine and a T cell co-stimulator.[2]
Other potential products
HS-410
HS-410, also called vesigenurtacel-L, is currently in Phase II in Non-Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer (NMIBC), in combination with BCG.[3] In Feb 2016 patient enrollment was paused (for lack of BCG).[4]
HS-110
HS-110, also called viagenpumatucel-L, is in Phase II in NSCLC, in combination with cyclophosphamide. Another Phase I study is combining HS 110 with nivolumab and other checkpoint inhibitors.
COVID-19 Vaccine
The company initiated a COVID-19 vaccine collaboration with the University of Miami in March 2020 using their gp96 platform which activates the human immune system to combat infectious diseases with the potential of generating long-term immune responses.
Heat Biologics stock
Heat Biologics stock has been traded on the NASDAQ under ticker symbol HTBX since 24 July 2013.[5]
Main people
Heat Biologics' Chairman and CEO is Jeffrey Wolf, a serial Life Sciences entrepreneur who founded the company in 2008. Its Chief Scientific Officer is Dr. Jeff Hutchins.
References
- Yamazaki K; Nguyen T; Podack ER. (November 15, 1999). "Cutting edge: tumor secreted heat shock-fusion protein elicits CD8 cells for rejection". Nucleic Acids Research. 163 (10): 5178–82. doi:10.1093/nar/gkq055. PMC 2887946. PMID 10553037.
- "T Cell therapies 'Heat' up as biotech looks to third public offering". biopharma-reporter.com.
- "A Phase 1/2 Study of HS-410 in Patients With Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer After TURBT - Full Text View - ClinicalTrials.gov". clinicaltrials.gov.
- "Heat Biologics stops enrolment in trial arm testing HS-410 as a bladder cancer monotherapy". biopharma-reporter.com.
- "Heat Biologics, Inc. Announces Closing of Initial Public Offering of 2,500,000 Shares of Common Stock". Heatbio.com. July 29, 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2016.