CK Life Sciences's cancer vaccines show potential to inhibit tumor growth

CK Life Sciences (0775) presented significant advances in the development of investigational vaccines targeting TROP2, PRAME, and PD-L1, demonstrating their potential to inhibit tumor growth.

Its share rose 5.68 percent on Wednesday.

The company unveiled two innovative vaccine formats targeting TROP2 - a protein overexpressed in multiple cancers, including breast, lung, and colorectal cancers.

Both vaccines were tested in standard and humanized mouse models. Results showed robust activation of T-cells specific to TROP2, with the protein vaccine inhibiting colon cancer growth by 80 percent and 100 percent suppressing breast cancer growth. 

The circular mRNA vaccine also achieved 100 percent tumor inhibition in both models. Immune analysis revealed a marked increase in CD8α+ T-cells producing interferon gamma, indicating a strong anti-tumor immune response to TROP2.

In preventive lung cancer models, vaccination resulted in over 95 percent tumor growth inhibition, with durable immune memory demonstrated by protection against tumor rechallenge three months post-vaccination.

The firm said the investigational cancer vaccine candidates targeting TROP2 and PRAME/PD-L1 have shown promising results that it believes will accelerate the development of effective therapeutic cancer vaccines.

It added that its near-term focus is to advance these candidates into clinical trials.