ViciniVax is a Dutch clinical stage biopharmaceutical company. It is a spin-off from the University Medical Center Groningen, the Netherlands, developing oncology immunotherapies.
Our first product candidate Vvax001, an immunotherapy against (pre)malignant cervical lesions, is a late stage clinical asset ready for Phase III.
Cervical cancer is the second largest cause of cancer deaths in women worldwide.
Human papilloma virus (HPV) infection has been recognized as the necessary cause of premalignant cervical lesions (HSILs or CIN2/3) and cervical cancer. HPV infection is the most common sexually transmitted disease, affecting about 400 million women worldwide. Most infections are spontaneously eliminated in less than one year. However, persistent HPV infection can lead to HSILs and then to cervical cancer. Worldwide, HSILs hits 7 million women (projected to reach 16.6 million by 2030), while cervical cancer affects 0.7 million women each year leading to more than 375 thousand deaths.
Current treatment for HSILs (CIN2/3) relies primarily on surgery, which is highly discomforting and carry a risk of serious complications like bleeding, cervical stenosis and cervical incompetence, leading to infertility. Above all, it does not eradicate the underlying HPV infection.
Immunotherapy offers an attractive alternative to the current surgical options for treating premalignant lesions; it can address the underlying HPV infection as well as all HPV-associated lesions regardless of location, and induce long-lasting immunity, thus preventing recurrence.
ViciniVax’ product candidate Vvax001 is a recombinant viral vector (RNA replicon system), specifically modified to elicit a strong immunological anti-tumor response.
Supported by the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), the Dutch Cancer Society, our founders and our seed investors Hanzepoort, KCF fund and the Smid Fonds. Process development, GMP manufacturing and clinical safety/efficacy studies have been completed. The company is raising funds for a Phase III trial.
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