Pipeline
Medical need
2.1 million new cases of lung cancer were diagnosed worldwide in 2018, and this disease was responsible for and 1.8 million deaths (source IARC). Lung cancer is therefore the most frequently diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer mortality.
About 60% of patients are diagnosed with locally advanced (stage IIIb) or metastatic (stage IV) cancer; prognosis is poor (median survival 8-13 months). (source medscape)
Almost 80% of advanced-stage lung cancer patients of Caucasian origin are not (yet) eligible for targeted therapies (source JCI Insight) and are therefore treated with platinum-based chemotherapies (with or without bevacizumab). However, after first-line treatment, median time to progression is just 2-3 months. Patients’ conditions deteriorate rapidly, and median survival is less than one year from diagnosis.
Innovative Drug Candidate
PDC*lung is our leading product for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Robust results already obtained for PDC*vac provide a preclinical validation, as well as ex vivo results on blood samples of lung cancer patients. PDC*lung consists of PDC*line loaded with HLA-A*02:01-restricted peptides derived from 6 antigens matching with shared NSCLC tumor antigens.
PDC*lung is primarily intended to treat HLA-A*02:01 advanced-stage NSCLC patients who are candidates for anti-PD-1 in first-line settings. The drug product has an off-the-shelf formulation (frozen solution in a cryopreservative reagent) and will be provided in vials.
