BioVaxys' DPX Shows Superior Immune Activation Over Other Antigen Delivery Systems

BioVaxys Technology Corp., a biopharmaceutical company based in Vancouver, BC, has spotlighted significant achievements in their immune delivery platform, DPX™. Their recent studies showcase the platform's ability to recruit and activate unique subsets of antigen presenting cells (APCs), enhancing the immunogenicity of antigens. This innovation is seen as surpassing current aqueous and emulsion-based antigen delivery systems in immune activation.

In cancer vaccine development, a critical factor is the continuous delivery of antigenic APCs to prime potent, antigen-specific cytotoxic T cells. Existing peptide antigen delivery techniques either employ water-based formulations, which offer limited exposure of peptides to immune cells, or oil-in-water emulsions, which extend peptide exposure but may induce dysfunctional T cell phenotypes. BioVaxys' DPX technology, a non-aqueous lipid-in-oil immune-educating therapeutic delivery platform, ensures that the antigen cargo remains localized at the injection site, facilitating active uptake by APCs over time.

A collaborative study with Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, compared DPX with aqueous and emulsion-based formulations. The evaluation focused on immune cell recruitment dynamics at the injection site, antigen consumption, and immune cell trafficking. Multi-parameter flow cytometry and confocal microscopy were used to assess immune cell composition and antigen uptake at the injection site, utilizing model peptide antigens administered in mice. Antigen-specific immune responses were measured by an interferon-gamma (IFN-γ)-based Enzyme-Linked Immunospot (ELISpot) assay, which detects the presence of IFN-γ—a crucial marker for immune system activation.

James Passin, CEO of BioVaxys, emphasized the company's pivotal role in the evolving drug delivery landscape. He noted that the study results validate BioVaxys' strategic positioning in the multi-billion-dollar drug delivery market. According to Passin, DPX not only outperforms current antigen delivery methods but also possesses inherent immune-activating properties, presenting significant revenue potential across multiple market segments.

The study revealed that aqueous formulations were inefficient in retaining lymphocytes at the injection site, failing to elicit a detectable IFN-γ ELISpot response. Conversely, DPX and oil emulsions excelled in recruiting APCs to the injection site and inducing antigen-specific immune responses. Notably, immune cell infiltration showed significant increases as early as two days post-DPX injection. A critical difference between DPX and oil emulsions was that DPX-driven antigen presentation activated more significant markers of T cell subsets. Another key finding was that DPX could recruit and activate T cell subsets even without containing an antigen as cargo, indicating its intrinsic immune system activating properties.

Kenneth Kovan, President and Chief Operating Officer of BioVaxys, highlighted that, in contrast to emulsion-based and aqueous formulations which disperse cargo into surrounding tissues, DPX remains localized at the injection site. This underscores the quantitative, qualitative, and temporal differences in immune cell recruitment between DPX and other common delivery platforms. Kovan pointed out that DPX triggers an immune response by activating T cell subsets with a higher capacity for antigen uptake, presentation, and activation.

BioVaxys is set to present additional data on the unique characteristics of DPX in early December, further establishing its potential in the multi-billion-dollar drug delivery systems market.