A FIRST-IN-CLASS IMMUNOTHERAPY
AGAINST CANCER AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES
LATEST NEWS: Altevax is awarded a 2,4 M€ package by BPI France. Click here to read our press release.
Altevax is committed to bringing its innovative anticancer and anti-infectious technology to patients, to treat diseases that have no available cure today
Altevax is supported by:
Pr Antoine Carpentier
Co-founder – Scientific Advisor
INNOVATION
Using melanin as an adjuvant, Altevax has developed an immunotherapy that triggers a strong antigen-specific immune response of CD8+ and CD4+ T cells
Applications in cancer (preclinical phase) and infectious diseases (R&D phase)
A treatment that can be produced simply at a reasonable cost
Worldwide patented technology
First results in humans expected in 2023
TECHNOLOGY
HOW IT WORKS AND FIRST RESULTS
In many cases of cancer or infections, the main reason for the onset of the disease is the lack of a specific immune response. As a result, many therapies currently under development to treat these diseases (immunotherapies) aim at triggering the patient's immunity and mobilize their immune system.
Altevax immunotherapy triggers an immunity that...
...occurs fast...
T-cell response in mice splenocytes
(nb of spots per 5x10 cells)
5
T-cell response in mice splenocytes
(nb of spots per 5x10 cells)
5
...can be induced with peptides from different antigens and with various lengths...
...is between 6 to 30 times more efficient than current benchmark...
...and can eliminate tumours in cancer models
T-cell response in mice splenocytes
(nb of spots per 5x10 cells)
5
Dose of peptide (gp100µg)
Control Group (Saline)
No tumour reduction
pOVA30-IFA + CpG
Small tumour reduction and no cured mice
pOVA30-Mel + CpG (Altevax)
Significant tumour reduction and 25% cured mice
Unlike most current immunotherapies, Altevax technology combines efficiency and specificity
TECHNOLOGY
MAIN ADVANTAGES
Altevax technology allows to rapidly develop therapies against many diseases, leading to treatments that are easy to produce and administer
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The technology works with a wide range of peptide lengths, allowing for optimization between reactivity, specificity and manufacturability
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Resulting treatments will have a much lower global cost (R&D + production) than alternatives of similar efficacy - such as autologous CAR-T therapies or last generation antiviral treatments
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Melanin, the key ingredient, can be manufactured and combined with a specific peptide at a reasonable cost - process also patented by Altevax
ACHIEVEMENTS
TECHNOLOGY
The Altevax immunotherapy is in advanced preclinical stage across several disease models, having reached key milestones on the critical path for ANSM/EMA approval for clinical trials:
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Proof of concept - testing with consistently positive results on large number of samples (humanised mice) with wide range of peptides proving priming of CD8+ and CD4+ T cells
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Characterisation of melanin, optimisation of the purification methods (> 99%)
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Optimisation of the drug formulation and scale-up synthesis
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Identification of target peptides for glioblastoma (GBM)
TECHNOLOGY
IP AND RELEVANT SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS
Altevax holds several patents and protects its technology and its use in diverse applications
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Altevax is the exclusive worldwide licensee for the melanin technology patent
Relevant scientific publications:
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Carpentier, A. F. et al. (2017). Synthetic melanin bound to subunit vaccine antigens significantly enhances CD8+ T-cell responses. PLoS ONE, 12(7), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0181403
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Cuzzubbo, S. et al. (2020). The adjuvant effect of melanin is superior to incomplete Freund’s adjuvant in subunit/peptide vaccines in mice. Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00262-020-02631-7
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Pearson, J.R.D. et al. (2020). Immune escape in glioblastoma multiforme and the adaptation of immunotherapies for treatment. Front. Immunol., 15 October 2020. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2020.582106
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Cuzzubbo, S. et al. (2021). Cancer vaccines: adjuvant potency, importance of age, lifestyle, and treatments. Front. Immunol., 17 February 2021. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2020.615240
THERAPEUTIC AREAS
APPLICATION & DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY
Over the last ten years, immunotherapy has greatly transformed the treatment of certain types of cancer. But the most advanced therapies stimulate the immune system in general and are not specific to the targeted disease. They are therefore difficult to control and have side effects.
Altevax is developing a novel immunotherapy using melanin as an adjuvant, linked to a peptide that is specific to the targeted disease. The revolutionary innovation lies in this unique combination, which offers both strong stimulation and high specificity. This gives the Altevax technology the potential to develop effective treatments for various types of cancer and for infectious diseases.
This new technology could revolutionize the field of immunotherapy.
THERAPEUTIC AREAS
CANCER IMMUNOTHERAPY
Professor Antoine Carpentier has been working on glioblastoma for over 15 years. He discovered the immunostimulating power of melanin while working on this particularly aggressive brain cancer.
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Today, glioblastoma treatment relies on surgery + radiotherapy + chemotherapy (temozolomide)
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All current therapeutic approaches to glioblastoma under clinical investigation target natural cellular mechanisms that are shown to be misregulated in certain cancer cells. These approaches are thus non specific and tricky to balance as these mechanisms are also used by normal cells.
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By stimulating the immune response against a peptide specific to glioblastoma, the Altevax approach mimics a physiological immune response, which most likely makes it specific, effective and well tolerated.
GLIOBLASTOMA KEY FACTS
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The most malignant among brain cancers, with a poor prognosis: survival rate of less than 5% within 5 years of diagnosis; life expectancy after diagnosis of 12-18 months.
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No cure is available today, or in development. Palliative treatments are heavy for patients, have side effects and are expensive (cost of about $150,000/patient in the US including surgery)
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GBM incidence is 2-3 new cases per 100,000 people per year, translating into about 80,000 new cases/year in the most developed countries. This incidence varies by country: about 14,000 cases/year in the US/Canada, 16,000 in the EU, 25,000 in China and 3,500 in Japan. The number of new cases in these countries is growing at an average 3% per year.
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Total GBM market today estimated at $1.2 Billion*, growing at a 7.4% cagr* to reach over $3.5 Billion by 2035
* Source: GlobalData GBM Study 2018
THERAPEUTIC AREAS
ANTI-INFECTIOUS TREATMENTS
The main role of the immune system is to fight infection by external pathogens. This process is well known and documented, and it is by far the most efficient way available today to fight some infectious diseases, especially those due to viruses and parasites. There are still many viral infections without an effective cure and the Covid-19 epidemic has demonstrated, if proof were needed, that innovative antiviral treatments are required. While broadly used to treat cancer, immunotherapy approaches could be used efficiently to treat viral infections. Especially if, like the Altevax technology, such approach is highly specific to the targeted pathogen.
Altevax is currently carrying out preclinical trials on malaria, with preliminary data showing that the melanin-based adjuvant can trigger an efficient immune response against the parasite.
Once the melanin-adjuvant innovation proves to be effective in humans, Altevax is planning to rapidly pursue the development of its technology in an infectious model, by partnering with a company or laboratory with expertise and history in the field of anti-infectious treatments.
In the case of an outbreak of new pathogens, the Altevax technology could allow the rapid development of treatments, which are efficient tools that are complementary to a vaccine strategy
OUR PEOPLE
SCIENTIFIC TEAM
BOARD OF ADMINISTRATORS
CAREERS
WORK AT ALTEVAX
Altevax is always looking for new talents to continue its research and bring its innovative solution to the market. Join us, and be part of a skilled and ambitious team.