GeoVax, a pioneering healthcare company, has developed a groundbreaking product known as GADEPTIN. GADEPTIN is a cutting-edge therapy designed to target and treat the initial indications of advanced head and neck cancer, with the potential to address various solid tumors as well. The mechanism behind this innovative treatment involves the use of an enzyme, the PNP enzyme, which is delivered into the tumor through an established adenovirus vaccine.
The treatment process begins by administering the PNP enzyme directly into the targeted tumor. Most tumors are accessible with a needle, making this a precise and localized delivery method. Following the introduction of the enzyme, an established hematologic chemotherapy drug, fludarabine, is administered. Remarkably, fludarabine, which typically has no effect on solid tumors, becomes highly potent when it interacts with the PNP enzyme, resulting in the destruction or significant reduction of the tumor. Importantly, this combination therapy remains localized and does not spread systemically throughout the body.
The initial focus of GADEPTIN is on patients with advanced head and neck cancer who have exhausted other treatment options and are on palliative care. In the United States alone, approximately 15,000 people succumb to head and neck cancer each year, and this therapy aims to improve their quality of life by reducing the size of targeted tumors. The FDA has recognized the urgent need for this therapy and has provided orphan drug status designation, supporting its development.
GADEPTIN’s versatility extends beyond head and neck cancer, as it has the potential to target various solid tumors, both cancerous and non-cancerous. The company holds exclusive worldwide rights to this technology and envisions its application in different monotherapies, such as earlier-stage head and neck cancers and triple-negative breast cancers, among others.
Additionally, GADEPTIN shows promise as a combination therapy alongside immune checkpoint inhibitors. Animal studies have demonstrated a synergistic effect that enhances the performance of checkpoint inhibitors, providing a broader range of therapeutic applications.