Batu Biologics Licenses Novel Oncology Peptide Drugs From UC San Diego

By Cyndi Root

Batu Biologics has acquired exclusive licensing rights to novel peptide drugs for oncology targets from the University of California San Diego (UCSD). Batu, based in San Diego, announced the licensing in a press release, stating that it intends to market the technology as a standalone treatment for patients with melanoma and to enhance its ValloVax lung cancer vaccine.

Davorka Messmer, lead inventor and former UCSD faculty member, said, “This platform provides Batu with a method to enhance immune function synergistically at multiple stages of the immune response and possibly work to boost immunity to several cancers.”

UCSD Peptide Drugs

UCSD’s lead peptide drug, hp91, has stimulated immune responses to cancer in animal models. In August 2014, Rebecca Saenz and others reported in the Journal of Translational Medicine (JTM) that the hp91 peptide activates dendritic cells (DC), enhancing antigen-specific killer T cells and antibody-mediated immune responses, without the toxicity associated with other immune stimulants.

Additionally, since other immune-stimulating drugs are made of recombinant proteins, they are expensive and difficult to produce, and show efficacy variations among patients. Peptides have a more predictable action mechanism and are less expensive to manufacture. The article in JTM defines the underlying action mechanisms of Hp91-mediated DC activation.

ValloVax Lung Cancer Vaccine

Batu seeks to use the peptides as a treatment for cancer but also to use them in its ValloVax lung cancer vaccine. The proprietary product is a cellular anti-angiogenic cancer vaccine that stimulates an immune response against the lung tumor. The endothelium is a target due to the lack of drug resistance in the blood vessels around the tumor. Targeting the blood vessels slows new blood vessel formation, slowing the tumor’s growth and inhibiting circulation of metastasized tumor cells. Additionally, since the body’s immune system is in direct contact with the tumor endothelium, drugs are delivered efficiently to the hypoxic areas of the tumor.

Batu Biologics is completing the pre-clinical testing of the ValloVax vaccine and preparing to submit an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The company is designing trials, protecting its Intellectual Property (IP) assets, and seeking partners for co-development and licensing.