Research & clinical evidence
Personalised neoantigen vaccines already show results in patients
Our platform builds on clinical data for neoantigen dendritic cell (DC) vaccine therapy: personalised, peptide-based and non-mRNA. Below are the key findings that inform our programme.
Evidence at a glance
- Immunotherapy treatments delivered (Sep 2003 – Mar 2024)
- 5,685
- Dendritic cell vaccine treatments in the same period
- 950
- Monotherapy patients with disease control (CR + PR + SD)
- 15 / 17
- 3-year survival in the neoantigen DC vaccine cohort
- > 60%
The target
Three generations of cancer antigens
Neoantigens exist only on cancer cells, so the immune response they trigger is highly specific and leaves healthy tissue alone.
- 1st generation
Shared antigens
Cancer-testis, overexpressed and differentiation antigens such as MAGE, NY-ESO-1, HER2, MUC1, CEA and PSA.
- 2nd generation
Oncoantigens
Tumour-associated targets such as CDCA1, CDH3, MELK and HIG2.
- 3rd generation
Neoantigens
Peptides carrying amino-acid changes from the tumour's own mutations. Healthy tissue does not carry them, so the immune system treats them as foreign.
The method
From one blood draw to a personalised vaccine
- 01
Collect
A 60–100 mL blood draw, or a single apheresis session that collects enough white cells for the full course. Cells can be cryopreserved for about five years.
- 02
Sequence & predict
Tumour and normal cells are sequenced. Algorithms rank the mutations, and 5–10 neoantigen peptides are chosen by HLA-binding affinity and expression level.
- 03
Culture
Monocytes are isolated from the patient’s PBMCs and matured into dendritic cells over about one week, then loaded with the selected neoantigen peptides.
- 04
Administer
Mature DCs are injected into the inguinal lymph nodes. Six doses are given at 2-week, then 3–4-week intervals, followed by boosters every 1–3 months.
- 05
Evaluate
CT/MRI imaging tracks the tumour, and ELISpot assays measure IFN-γ release, which confirms that the patient’s T cells now recognise the neoantigens.
Monotherapy outcomes
Disease control in 88% of patients on the vaccine alone
17 patients across 13 tumour types who received neoantigen DC vaccine therapy alone.
Only two adverse events were recorded across the cohort: one transient fever and one case of fatigue.
Source disclosed on written request to it@pranamritam.in
- Complete response (CR)1 patient · 6%
- Partial response (PR)3 patients · 18%
- Stable disease (SD)11 patients · 65%
- Progressive disease (PD)2 patients · 12%
Pancreatic cancer study
Durable survival in one of the hardest-to-treat cancers
Neoantigen DC vaccines were given alongside surgery and standard chemotherapy, both as adjuvant therapy and after recurrence. Patients whose T cells responded to the vaccine lived significantly longer.
- Adjuvant patients alive at 25–70 months after surgery
- 7 / 7
- Adjuvant patients recurrence-free at last follow-up
- 6 / 7
- Longer post-recurrence survival for ELISpot responders than non-responders (9 recurrence cases)
- p = 0.022
Source disclosed on written request to it@pranamritam.in
Case study
Chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer
A 69-year-old woman with ovarian cancer that had stopped responding to standard chemotherapy. Neoantigens were identified from cancer cells in her ascites fluid. After four vaccinations her lymphocytes were releasing IFN-γ in response to those neoantigens, and the response was stronger still after eight. By May 2019 cancer cells were no longer detectable in her ascites, and her CA-125 tumour marker had fallen.
Source disclosed on written request to it@pranamritam.in
Clinical takeaways
- Very few side effects. Some patients have a mild fever for a few days.
- Can be combined with surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
- Shows clinical activity even as a monotherapy.
- Personalised to each patient’s tumour mutations and HLA type.
Peer-reviewed literature
DC vaccines extend survival across tumour types
Non-small cell lung cancer: adding DC + activated T-cell immunotherapy to post-operative chemotherapy (50 vs 51 patients) improved overall and recurrence-free survival.
Brain tumours: a dendritic cell vaccine added to conventional treatment extended survival.
Paediatric sarcoma: a dendritic cell vaccine added to conventional treatment extended survival.
Source disclosed on written request to it@pranamritam.in
Clinical track record
Patients treated, by cancer type
Top eight indications, as of March 2024
- Lung92
- Gastric88
- Colorectal75
- Breast72
- Pancreatic66
- Liver43
- Ovarian24
- Esophageal20
These data come from published studies and clinical experience with neoantigen dendritic cell vaccine therapy. They are scientific background for PranAmritam's programme. They are not results from PranAmritam's own trials and do not guarantee future clinical outcomes. Nothing here is medical advice. Sources are disclosed only on written expression of interest sent to it@pranamritam.in.
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