Syntekabio and Belgian Company 'PDC Line Pharma' Collaborate on Personalized Cancer Vaccine Research

Shinteca Bio, an AI-based new drug development specialist company, announced on the 26th that it has signed a joint research memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Belgium-based immuno-oncology vaccine developer PDC*line Pharma (hereinafter ‘PDC’) for the development of patient-customized therapeutic cancer vaccines.

PDC*line Pharma is an immuno-oncology vaccine development company headquartered in Belgium. It possesses an immune-oncology vaccine platform technology based on the plasmacytoid dendritic cell line (PDC*line). Based on this vaccine technology, it is advancing the development of the PDC*neo pipeline targeting neoantigens and is undergoing the KOSDAQ listing process through a technology special case, the first European company to do so.

Currently, PDC is conducting Phase 1/2 clinical trials targeting non-small cell lung cancer patients, verifying the vaccine platform through safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy evaluations of therapeutic candidate substances targeting tumor-associated antigens (TAA) of lung cancer.

Through this MOU, the two companies will combine PDC’s ‘PDC*line’ immune-oncology vaccine platform technology with Shinteca Bio’s ‘NEO-ARS®’ neoantigen prediction technology to initiate a preliminary feasibility study for the development of patient-customized therapeutic cancer vaccines.

Both companies aim to complete a case study using HLA-A2+ cell lines derived from hematologic malignancies (Leukemia) within this year. After reviewing the appropriateness and effectiveness of integrating NEO-ARS® technology into PDC’s vaccine platform, they plan to discuss joint research for the development of the PDC*neo pipeline.

The anti-cancer vaccine candidates for melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer developed by PDC are off-the-shelf therapeutics composed of antigen-presenting cells loaded with widely known shared tumor antigen peptides. Following this MOU, as research collaboration between the two companies intensifies, it is expected that Shinteca Bio’s patient-customized neoantigen peptides targeting cancer-specific antigens (TSA) that are variably expressed in individuals will be combined with PDC’s dendritic cell vaccine-based technology, potentially leading to joint research and development of patient-customized therapeutic cancer vaccines.

Eric Halioua, CEO of PDC*line Pharma, stated, “Shinteca Bio’s NEO-ARS® neoantigen prediction technology is complementary to the PDC*line platform technology,” and added, “We are very pleased to collaborate with Shinteca Bio for the development of personalized neoantigen-based cancer vaccines.”

Jongseon Jeong, CEO of Shinteca Bio, said, “We are pleased to partner with PDC, which possesses a cancer vaccine platform that has demonstrated meaningful clinical safety and efficacy,” and added, “If NEO-ARS is integrated into PDC*line through joint research with PDC and leads to the development of patient-customized cancer vaccines, it will not only contribute to the establishment of therapeutic candidate development strategies but also provide a positive opportunity to expand the applicability of NEO-ARS.”