Evaxion Celebrates Success of AI-Immunology Platform Across Multiple Clinical Trials

Evaxion’s AI-Immunology platform has successfully identified clinically relevant cancer vaccine targets, validated by three recent clinical trials.

Two candidates, EVX-01 and EVX-02, have completed phase 1 trials, with EVX-01 now in phase 2, while a third, EVX-03, is an investigational new drug-ready vaccine candidate.

The Danish techbio’s platform can identify targets, called neoantigens, for cancer vaccines and predict the specific immune response of a particular vaccine target against a tumor.

In all three clinical trials, researchers found a statistically significant correlation between the AI-Immunology prediction scores and the immunological responses observed in patients.

Notably, the strongest responses were associated with vaccine targets that received the highest AI-Immunology prediction scores.

This correlation demonstrates that the AI-immunology platform can effectively identify cancer vaccine targets that have a significant clinical impact.

“We are proud to have collected such strong clinical data documenting the unique predictive capabilities of the AI-Immunology platform across several clinical trials,” Christian Kanstrup, CEO of Evaxion, said in a statement.

“The correlation between the platform’s prediction score and clinical outcome is unique and provides very solid guidance for the further development of personalized cancer vaccines based upon AI-Immunology. Generating highly relevant clinical data is very important for our ability to apply constant learning loops, allowing for the continuous development of AI-Immunology.”

Evaxion’s AI-Immunology platform utilizes a suite of proprietary AI models to simulate the human immune system, enabling the identification, prediction, and design of vaccine candidates for both infectious diseases and cancers.

EVX-01, Evaxion’s leading candidate, is a personalized peptide-based cancer vaccine targeting metastatic melanoma, developed using the AI-Immunology platform.

In a small phase 1/2a trial, the treatment combined with Merck’s PD-1 inhibitor Keytruda showed benefits for 67% of patients, compared to 33-40% for those treated with the PD-1 inhibitor alone based on historical data.

In addition, its safety and efficacy with Keytruda are currently being assessed in a Phase 2 trial across sites in the U.S., Europe, and Australia.

The company’s second candidate, EVX-02, is a DNA-based cancer immunotherapy aimed at eliciting a therapeutic immune response in patients with Stage III and IV resected melanoma who have undergone first-line treatment. In contrast, EVX-03 is also a DNA-based immunotherapy, specifically designed for advanced solid cancers.

Evaxion's encouraging results highlight the potential of artificial intelligence technology platforms in vaccine discovery for infectious diseases, showcasing a field that continues to expand and evolve.