News Press Releases

OncoSec Medical and UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Collaborate to Test Intratumoral Cancer Immunotherapy in Canine Soft Tissue Sarcoma

ONCSQ | June 1, 2015

SAN DIEGO, June 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- OncoSec Medical Inc. ("OncoSec") (NASDAQ: ONCS), a company developing DNA-based intratumoral cancer immunotherapies, today announced a collaboration with University of California, Davis (UC Davis) School of Veterinary Medicine to test ImmunoPulse™ IL-12 as an immunotherapy in dogs with soft tissue sarcoma. The primary goals of the canine study are to advance the understanding of the mechanism of action of ImmunoPulse™ IL-12 and validate key clinical biomarkers.

"This clinical trial in canine patients underscores our commitment to collaborating with leaders in the medical and scientific community with the shared goal of advancing the development of cancer immunotherapies," said Robert H. Pierce, MD, Chief Scientific Officer at OncoSec. "We're very excited to work with UC Davis, a pioneering institution in both human and veterinary medicine. This partnership is key to expanding our understanding of how ImmunoPulse™ IL-12 will address the unmet medical need of the human anti-PD-1 non-responder population and hopefully, provide a clinical benefit to the participating companion dogs."

The study is an open label, neoadjuvant two-arm pilot trial in approximately 12 canines with soft tissue sarcoma. Eligible canine patients will be randomized to receive one of the two experimental ImmunoPulse™ IL-12 treatment schedules, followed by definitive surgical resection of the tumor.

"We are pleased to begin our collaboration with OncoSec to evaluate potential immune responses in canine soft tissue sarcoma and compare results in two treatment schedules of pIL-12 electroporation," said Michael S. Kent, DVM, Associate Professor of Surgical & Radiological Sciences at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and principal investigator of this study. "We anticipate OncoSec's intratumoral immunotherapy platform will trigger a programmatic change in otherwise suppressive antigen-presenting cells within the tumor and result in the activation of CD8+ T-cells."

"Since OncoSec treatments are DNA-based, we can easily encode canine sequences in our plasmids, allowing us to 'double-down' and investigate these compounds as anti-cancer therapies in canines, while seizing the opportunity to understand the mechanism of these agents in 'real' spontaneously occurring tumors in canine patients," added Dr. Pierce. "In my opinion, clinical investigation of cancer therapeutics – especially immunotherapies – in spontaneous tumors in companion animals is an underutilized, high-yield translational medicine approach."

To date, OncoSec's core immunotherapy platform, ImmunoPulse™, has been used to deliver DNA-based IL-12 in Phase II clinical trials for metastatic melanoma and Merkel cell carcinoma and plans to initiate Phase II studies in head and neck cancer and triple negative breast cancer.

About OncoSec Medical Inc.
OncoSec Medical Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company developing its investigational ImmunoPulse^TM intratumoral cancer immunotherapy. OncoSec's core technology is designed to enhance the local delivery and uptake of DNA IL-12 and other DNA-based immune-targeting agents. Clinical studies of ImmunoPulse^TM have demonstrated an acceptable safety profile and preliminary evidence of anti-tumor activity in the treatment of various skin cancers, as well as the potential to initiate a systemic immune response limiting the systemic toxicities associated with other treatments. OncoSec's lead program evaluating ImmunoPulse^TM for the treatment of metastatic melanoma is currently in Phase II development, and is being conducted in collaboration with several prominent academic medical centers. As the company continues to evaluate ImmunoPulse^TM in its current indications, it is also focused on identifying and developing new immune-targeting agents, investigating additional tumor indications, and evaluating combination-based immunotherapy approaches. For more information, please visit www.oncosec.com.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements in this release that are not historical facts may be considered such "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements are based on management's current preliminary expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties, which may cause our results to differ materially and adversely from the statements contained herein. Some of the potential risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those predicted include our ability to raise additional funding, our ability to acquire, develop or commercialize new products, uncertainties inherent in pre-clinical studies and clinical trials, unexpected new data, safety and technical issues, competition, and market conditions. These and additional risks and uncertainties are more fully described in OncoSec Medical's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. OncoSec Medical disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date they are made, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

About University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine
Leading Veterinary Medicine, Addressing Societal Needs: The School of Veterinary Medicine serves the people of California by providing educational, research, clinical service, and public service programs of the highest quality to advance the health and care of animals, the environment, and the public, and to contribute to the economy. For further information, visit www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/.

CONTACT:
Investor Relations:
Jordyn Kopin
OncoSec Medical Inc.
855-662-6732
investors@oncosec.com

Media Relations:
Mary Marolla
OncoSec Medical Inc.
855-662-6732
media@oncosec.com