Evaxion to Develop Tailored Novel Cancer Vaccines Based Upon a New Untapped Source of AI-Discovered Targets

Evaxion Biotech A/S recently announced an expanded commitment to developing tailored cancer vaccines by targeting a novel category of AI-identified tumor antigens, named Endogenous Retroviruses (ERVs).

The new treatment opportunity may broaden the applicability of cancer vaccines. Through the new vaccine targets, ERVs, treating patients unresponsive to conventional cancer immunotherapy may become possible. With the elevated focus on this groundbreaking therapeutic concept, Evaxion has initiated preclinical activities with a goal of generating Proof-of-Concept data by the second half of 2024.

Evaxion’s Chief Scientific Officer, Birgitte Rønø, said “With our intensified focus on ERV cancer vaccines, we aim to expedite the development process to deliver treatment solutions to cancer patients who, until now, have been deemed unresponsive to immunotherapy. The ERV cancer vaccine targets represent a promising breakthrough that could significantly broaden the horizons of cancer vaccine applicability and marks a significant step forward in our commitment to improving healthcare through innovative and AI-powered approaches. We are already seeing significant interest in ERV-based vaccines and look forward to further underpinning the significant potential by these Proof-of-Concept data.”

Recent insights into these exciting opportunities were presented by Evaxion at the last American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting. For further information, see our previous press release.

ERVs are remnants of ancient viruses lying dormant in our genome. ERVs are often overexpressed in cancer but not in healthy tissue, making them visible to the immune system and hence promising targets for cancer vaccines. AI-Immunology is crucial in allowing the identification of therapeutically relevant ERV tumor antigens from genomic patient tumor data.

AI-Immunology is a scalable and adaptable artificial intelligence technology platform at the forefront of vaccine discovery for infectious diseases and cancers. By integrating the collective power of proprietary AI models PIONEER, EDEN, RAVEN, and ObsERV, the platform can model the complexity of the patient’s immune system. AI-Immunology advanced computational modeling swiftly and uniquely identifies, predicts, and designs vaccine candidates, revolutionizing the landscape of immunotherapy by offering a holistic and personalized approach to combat fast-evolving pathogens and malignant cells.

Evaxion Biotech A/S is a pioneering TechBio company based upon its AI platform, AI-Immunology. Evaxion’s proprietary and scalable AI prediction models harness the power of artificial intelligence to decode the human immune system and develop novel immunotherapies for cancer, bacterial diseases, and viral infections. Based upon AI-Immunology, Evaxion has developed a clinical-stage oncology pipeline of novel personalized vaccines and a preclinical infectious disease pipeline in bacterial and viral diseases with high unmet medical needs. Evaxion is committed to transforming patients’ lives by providing innovative and targeted treatment options. For more information, visit our website.