Cancer

Mouse studies suggest intratumoral injection of a TLR9 agonist and an agonist antibody against OX40 could help treat lymphoma, breast cancer and colorectal cancer. In a mouse model of lymphoma, subcutaneous injection of the TLR9 agonist SD-101 and an OX40 agonist antibody decreased tumor volume compared with vehicle, and intratumoral injection of the combination therapy decreased tumor size more rapidly and at a lower dose than subcutaneous injection. In a mouse model of spontaneous breast cancer with multiple tumors, injection of the combination therapy into one tumor decreased growth of all tumors compared with vehicle. In mice implanted with two lymphoma tumors and one colon tumor at three separate sites, injection of the combination therapy into one lymphoma decreased the growth of both lymphomas compared with vehicle without affecting colon tumor growth. In mice implanted with a lymphoma cell line at one site, a colon cancer cell line at a second site, and a mixture of the two cell types at a third site, injection of combination therapy at the mixed tumor site decreased tumor growth of all three tumors compared with vehicle. Next steps could include testing intratumoral injection of TLR9 agonist/OX40 agonist combination therapy in animal models of other cancers.

Dynavax Technologies Corp. has SD-101 (HCV Therapy) in Phase I/II testing for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN), lymphoma and melanoma, and in Phase I testing for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL)...