EphA2 Vaccine

MEDI-543 is a vaccine targeting the EphA2 protein. High levels of EphA2 are observed in a number of cancers, including breast, prostate, colon, renal, cell carcinomas and metastatic melanoma. There is a growing body of scientific evidence implicating the upregulation of EphA2 in uncontrolled tumor growth and metastases. Additionally, scientific evidence has demonstrated the presence of EphA2-specific T cells in cancer patients which can be correlated to improved patient outcome. A vaccine targeting EphA2-expressing tumors may have the potential to focus the body's immune system to target the tumor cells. MedImmune plans to conduct research evaluating the potential for EphA2 MAbs in the treatment of ovarian, prostate, lung and other cancers.