Technology evaluation: BLP-25, Biomira Inc.

Biomira is developing the MUC-1 peptide-based vaccine BLP-25 for the potential treatment of cancer. It is in phase II trials for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) [335997], [353448], [384703]. The MUC-1 mucin secreted by cancer cells has been shown to decrease the activity of certain immune response cells, including killer T-cells, and can inhibit the immune T-cell response by > 70%. BLP-25 is designed to target an immune response to the MUC-1 mucin that is shown by > 90% of common solid tumors. The introduction of IL-2 reverses the T-cell suppression caused by MUC-1 mucin, and enhances the cellular immune response > 100-fold. Biomira has been incorporating IL-2 into a liposomal delivery system for BLP-25 [274576]. In late 1998, Biomira entered into a research collaboration with Axis Genetics. The collaboration will assess the further potential of therapeutic cancer vaccines against MUC-1. Each company has developed a vaccine targeting the MUC-1 peptide and Biomira will be evaluating Axis's vaccine in preclinical trials [313395]. In December 1996, Biomira signed a licensing agreement whereby it was granted the rights to use Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's two US patents relating to MUC-1 (based on pioneering work at the Institute on the identification of cell-surface molecules that are characteristic of cancer cells) for peptide-based cancer vaccines [228101].