ROCHESTER, N.Y., Feb. 17, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vaccinex, Inc., a clinical-stage immunotherapy company engaged in the discovery and development of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies, today announced publication of a manuscript entitled "Anti-semaphorin 4D immunotherapy ameliorates neuropathology and some cognitive impairment in the YAC128 mouse model of Huntington disease" in the February 2015 issue of the journal Neurobiology of Disease*. The work represents a collaborative effort between Vaccinex and The Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at The University of British Columbia, Vancouver. The YAC128 transgenic mouse model of Huntington Disease is widely used as a surrogate for human disease based on shared neuropathological and behavioral phenotypes. This published work represents the first known observations that targeting a semaphorin can ameliorate Huntington Disease-like phenotype through preservation of brain volume, improvement of a subset of cognitive deficits and reduction of anxiety-like symptoms. Vaccinex has completed a phase 1 clinical trial designed to assess safety and tolerability of VX15/2503, an antibody that blocks human SEMA4D, in patients with multiple sclerosis. A phase 1B/2A clinical trial of the VX15/2503 antibody in Huntington Disease is planned to begin in the first half of 2015.
* Link to the article - http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969996115000145
About Vaccinex, Inc.
Vaccinex, Inc. is a privately held clinical-stage immunotherapy company engaged in the discovery and development of human therapeutic monoclonal antibodies to treat cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, including multiple sclerosis and Huntington Disease. Vaccinex utilizes its proprietary ActivMAb® Antibody Discovery Technology for rapid, mammalian cell-based antibody selection to build its antibody pipeline and in service to its biopharmaceutical partners. Compared to other selection technologies, ActivMAb® combines the advantages of rapid and sensitive selection by virus panning and cell sorting in one technology, with intrinsic selection of antibodies that are efficiently expressed and stable in mammalian cells. Vaccinex is based in Rochester, New York.
For more information and to contact Vaccinex, visit www.vaccinex.com.