Austrian start-up OncoQR ML has confirmed that a single therapeutic vaccine based on its Specific Total Immune Remodeler (S-TIR) platform is capable of simultaneously inducing and activating the killing of tumour target expressing cells.

With the discovery, OncoQR becomes the first company to control all relevant immune checkpoints that prevent the immune system from combating against and defeating cancer.

The new active therapy based on the biotech company’s vaccine technology is wholly tumour target specific.

OncoQR chief scientific officer and S-TIR technology inventor Geert Mudde said: "Previously, we had already shown all forms of antibody-mediated tumour killing - now we have the definite proof that our S-TIR vaccines are able to simultaneously induce and activate tumour specific T-cell killing as well.

"With our approach, the tumour has no more chance to escape the immune system; it is attacked from all possible sides at the same time."

The cancer vaccines comprise a latest generic module (warhead) and a disease-specific module (immunogen), which are connected by high-affinity connectors.

The warhead allows specific delivery of the immunogen in a non-toxic manner to the cells that adjust and (re)direct the patient’s immune response.

Also, the warhead determines and strengthens the therapeutic effect of the treatment.

The modular concept enables a simple combination of the warhead with different immunogens, resulting in multi-purpose cancer immunotherapies.

OncoQR ML CEO Christof Langer said: "The new data is not only spectacular from a scientific point of view; the S-TIR technology will also break the trend that new cancer therapies have to be unethically expensive.

"Our therapeutic vaccines are designed to have low cost of goods, which is paired with a personalised low treatment frequency at low-treatment dose."

Drugs based on the S-TIR technology can be both used as monotherapy and in combination with existing therapies such as chemotherapy.