New collaboration to expand vaccine approaches for melanoma

Aduro BioTech, Inc. announces a collaboration with Charles G. Drake, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Oncology, Immunology and Urology at the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center to evaluate the therapeutic approach of anti-PD-1 in combination with one or both of Aduro's vaccine technologies based on live, attenuated Listeria monocytogenes and STING-activating adjuvants. The collaboration will be supported in part by a recent grant award from the Melanoma Research Foundation to Dr. Drake.

“We are already on the cutting edge of combination immunotherapy for cancer and adding anti-PD-1 provides the potential for additional synergy and efficacy.”

Blockade of PD-1 by a monoclonal antibody has shown promising efficacy in several Phase 1 trials in multiple cancers, including melanoma. The collaboration and grant are based on the hypothesis that anti-PD-1 may be synergistic in combination with one or more of Aduro's vaccine technologies for treating melanoma.

"We are excited to be collaborating with Dr. Drake and to be expanding our vaccine approaches for melanoma," said Thomas W. Dubensky, Jr., Ph.D., chief scientific officer at Aduro. "We are already on the cutting edge of combination immunotherapy for cancer and adding anti-PD-1 provides the potential for additional synergy and efficacy."