Amphera B.V., a late-stage biotechnology company developing MesoPher cell therapy to treat cancer, reports publication of the positive results of the phase II study of MesoPher in peritoneal mesothelioma (MESOPEC) in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer.

Peritoneal mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer with a poor prognosis. Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) improve survival, however, recurrence rates are high. 16 patients were treated with MesoPher as an adjuvant after HIPEC-CRS. Median progression free survival (PFS) was 12 months (IQR 5–23) and median overall survival (OS) was not reached. Median follow-up time for surviving patients was 26 months (IQR 16-35).

MesoPher is comprised of autologous dendritic cells loaded with PheraLys, a lysate of pleural mesothelioma cell lines. PheraLys contains a broad repertoire of tumour-associated antigens, many of which are present in different cancer types.

In line with previous studies, MesoPher induced an increased proliferation of NK cells and CD4+ T-cells. Additionally, several important co-stimulatory markers on CD4+ T-cells were upregulated. CD4+ T-cells play a pivotal role in developing and sustaining an effective antitumour response by providing help to CTLs, but also by the production of effector cytokines (ie, IFN-γ and TNF-α) with direct antitumour activity. CD4+ T-cell signaling is also essential for the formation and survival of memory CTLs, contributing to a durable immune-mediated tumour response.

Prof Joachim Aerts, head of the department of pulmonary medicine at Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, inventor of MesoPher and medical advisor to Amphera said “In the phase II/III study with MesoPher in pleural mesothelioma we have seen a similar immune response. The increase in proliferating CD4+T-cells induced by MesoPher correlated with a better PFS. As such, the results of the MESOPEC study excellently fit in a recent wave of scientific articles reporting clinical benefit of cancer vaccines in patients with a low disease burden.”