Morphogenesis Inc., the biotechnology firm developing ImmuneFx™, a cancer vaccine that has improved the longevity and quality of life for dogs, cats and horses, announces that a formal equine clinical trial for the direct injection form of the vaccine will begin later this month at a large equine facility in Missouri.
Pat Lawman, PhD., co-founder and CEO of Morphogenesis Inc., said that melanoma is a problem in grey horses and can be slow-growing or malignant. There is currently no USDA-approved treatment for equine melanoma.
Expected to last about a year, the clinical trial is designed to precisely assess the efficacy and safety of the ImmuneFx™ cancer vaccine in horses.
“We have had some major successes in reducing equine melanoma in the cases we have treated to date, and depending on the results, this formal study will statistically and scientifically establish the reliability of the therapy,” said Dr. Lawman.
ImmuneFx™ has been used to treat more than 20 different types of cancers in dogs, cats and horses. In fact, the personalized form of ImmuneFx™ is currently being used by veterinarians across the U.S.
In this equine study, Kris Hennessy, Ph.D, DVM, of Hennessy Research, will be testing an off-the-shelf form of ImmuneFx™ vaccine that is directly injected into the melanoma lesions of the horses. Successful study outcomes will allow Morphogenesis to obtain a commercial license from the USDA to sell the injectable form of ImmuneFx™ for treatment of equine melanoma.
Plans call for the personalized form of ImmuneFx™ to be in human clinical trials early next year. All the company’s activities, including its clinical trials, are investor-funded.
ABOUT MORPHOGENESIS
Morphogenesis Inc. (www.morphogenesis-inc.com) is a privately-held biotechnology company that is conducting ground-breaking research in the rapidly growing cell therapy, biologics and tissue engineering fields. The company has received financial support from grantors and private investors around the world.
Morphogenesis holds more than 20 U.S. issued and pending patents that cover rare cell identification and separation technologies, stem cell growth factors and cancer vaccines. Morphogenesis is currently focused on its multi-indication therapeutic cancer vaccine, ImmuneFx™, which educates the patient’s own immune system to attack tumor cells throughout the body without damaging normal cells or systems.
ABOUT THE IMMUNOTHERAPY MARKET
Several leading authorities project the annual therapeutic cancer vaccine market to expand to $8 billion within the next six years. Immunotherapy revenues worldwide are predicted to reach $35 billion in 10 years. Experts predict that within the next 10 years, 50-60 percent of cancer treatments will involve immunotherapy.
SOURCE Morphogenesis Inc.
