Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women, behind skin cancer. Although the patient survival rate has increased due to earlier detection and better treatment, there is still an unmet need for effective breast cancer therapies that are easier on the patient’s system than traditional chemotherapy.
Quantum Immunologics (QI) is a privately held company developing therapeutics for the treatment of breast cancer. The company’s vaccine technology is based on the universal tumor antigen, which has been expressed in all human cancers studied so far, including breast, lung, prostate and ovarian cancers. Blood is drawn from the patient and treated with a process that trains the patient’s dendritic cells to recognize and stimulate an immune response to the cancer. The cells are injected back into the patient in three doses. The as-yet-unnamed therapy is currently undergoing Phase I and II clinical trials for advanced breast cancer.
Tampa, FL-based QI has two related products in the works: a cancer monitoring test to track post-treatment immune response, and a cancer screening tool. In November, the company also signed a deal with Auburn University to commercialize cancer immunotherapy for the veterinary market.
Related video: Charles Broes, CEO of Quantum Immunologics, discusses the company at the 2010 OneMedForum in San Francisco.