Berkeley, CA and Vancouver, BC – January 5, 2017 – BriaCell Therapeutics Corp. (“BriaCell” or the “Company”) (TSXV: BCT) (OTCQB: BCTXF), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company dedicated to the development of novel immuno-oncology therapeutics, today announced that Jason Napodano, senior equity analyst at BioNap Consulting, Inc., included BriaCell in the list of key players in immuno-oncology.
BriaVax™ is a genetically engineered whole-cell targeted immunotherapy derived from a human breast tumor cell line. It is believed to activate the immune system to recognize and eliminate cancerous cells by inducing tumor-directed T cells and potentially antibody responses. BriaVax™ is entering an open-label Phase I/IIa clinical trial designed to evaluate its safety and activity in patients with advanced breast cancer.
Mr. Napodano mentions that BriaVax™ seems to induce an immune response against antigens expressed by both BriaVax™ and breast cancer cells from the patient, and a boost in response is expected by combination therapy with checkpoint inhibitors, PD-(L)1 inhibitors, traditional chemotherapy, radiation, and targeted therapies such as PARP or aromatase inhibitors.
For the full article by Mr. Napodano on Cancer Immunotherapy, please see the following link:
http://www.bionapcfa.com/2017/01/a-look-at-cancer-immunotherapy-and-some.html
“Based on the proposed mechanism of action for BriaVax™, we expect BriaVax™ to work well in combination with other immune modulators, and/or other anti-cancer agents” commented Dr. Williams, BriaCell’s President and CEO. “We are planning on running combination studies in parallel to our current Phase I/IIa clinical study”.
Dr. Madeleine Johnson, an editor of Genome Web, an online news organization serving the global community of scientists, technology professionals, and executives, recently interviewed Dr. Markus Lacher, BriaCell’s Head of R&D, with respect to the latest developments of BriaDx™, BriaCell’s companion diagnostic product candidate. The full article titled “BriaCell Codeveloping Cell-Based Cancer Therapy, Companion Diagnostic” can be viewed at https://briacell.com/category/recent-events/.
About BioNap, Inc.
BioNap Consulting, Inc. (BioNap™) is an investor intelligence and strategic advisory firm that produces high-quality market research on companies in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device sector. The company works directly with both investors and biopharma companies in an effort to achieve the common goal of maximizing investment in the healthcare sector.
Before starting his own firm in July 2015, Jason Napodano, CFA has served as Equity Research Analyst at Zacks Investment Research for over 12 years writing highly detailed small-cap biotechnology research reports. Currently, as Owner and Senior Equity Analyst at BioNap Consulting, Napodano continues to analyze and perform due diligence on a large number of biotechnology companies. For more information on BrioNap, Inc., please see http://www.bionapcfa.com.
About BriaCell
BriaCell is an immuno-oncology biotechnology company developing a more targeted and potentially less toxic approach to cancer management compared to traditional chemotherapy strategies. BriaCell’s mission is to serve late-stage cancer patients with limited treatment options.
Immunotherapy has come to the forefront of the fight against cancer, harnessing the body’s own immune system to recognize and selectively destroy cancer cells while sparing normal cells. Immunotherapy, in addition to generally being more targeted than commonly used types of chemotherapy, is also thought to be a highly potent approach aimed at preventing cancer recurrence.
BriaVax™, the Company’s lead product candidate, is a genetically engineered whole-cell targeted immunotherapy derived from a human breast tumor cell line. It is believed to activate the immune system to recognize and eliminate cancerous cells by inducing tumor-directed T cell and potentially antibody responses. The Company has already demonstrated encouraging clinical results, and is intent on building upon these results to further advance BriaVax™ through additional FDA-approved clinical trials in order to help cancer patients with limited therapeutic options. The results of two previous Phase I clinical trials (one with the precursor cell line not genetically engineered to produce GM-CSF and one with BriaVax™) have been encouraging in patients with advanced solid tumors. Most notably, one patient with metastatic breast cancer responded to BriaVax™ with substantial reduction in tumor burden including lung and brain metastases.
For more information on the previous clinical trials, please visit https://briacell.com/novel-technology/clinical-trials/, and on BriaCell per se, https://briacell.com/.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information
Except for the statements of historical fact, this news release contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation which involves known and unknown risks relevant to the Company in particular and to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries in general, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual events to differ materially from current expectation. These risks are more fully described in the Company’s public filings available at www.sedar.com.
Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation, except to the extent required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Contact Information
For further information contact:
BriaCell Therapeutics Corp.
820 Heinz Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94710
Ms. Farrah Dean
Manager, Corporate Development
Phone: 1-888-485-6340
Email: [email protected]
The TSX Venture Exchange Inc. has in no way passed upon the merits of the Company and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.