Transcription of The Stock Network Interview with Noxopharm (ASX:NOX), CEO Olivier Laczka
Lel Smits: Noxopharm has generated new preclinical data showing its Sofra technology can activate immune cells in response to dying cancer cells. The study found that dying cancer cells alone did not trigger an immune response, but combining them with Noxopharm’s TLR8 drug produced a strong immune activation, reaching seven times the untreated level. The result strengthens the case for using Sofra alongside treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, while moving Noxopharm’s oncology program closer to in vivo proof of concept studies.
I’m joined today by Oliver Laczka to discuss the activation of immune cells against dying cancer cells, producing a substantial immune response, complementing chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and moving Sofra towards in vivo studies. Olivier, welcome to the Stock Network.
Olivier Laczka: Hello, thanks for having me.
Lel Smits: Pleasure to have you on. Now, dying cancer cells alone did not trigger an immune response, but adding Noxopharm’s TLR8 amplifying drug activated macrophages, how does the drug switch on this immune response?
Olivier Laczka: Sure. So cancer cells are camouflaged as normal cells hiding from the immune system, making it hard for your body to recognize and attack them in the same way that it would attack a virus, let’s say, for example.
So put simply, our technology helps the immune system recognize cancer cells that otherwise would remain hidden. So essentially what we’re doing is enabling an important type of immune cells called macrophages to recognize cancer cells and then trigger the immune system to go into battle. So adding our drug to the macrophages does this because our technology is based on a recent breakthrough understanding of how the immune system works.
So leveraging this knowledge, we now know how to tune up or down certain receptors in these immune cells and tell them when to consider or not a specific target as a threat. So from this understanding of natural processes, we’re developing new drugs to tackle various diseases, including cancer.
Lel Smits: And Olivier, what does this result tell you about Sofra’s potential?
Olivier Laczka: Well, our technology has significant potential because it harnesses the power of the immune system against cancer.
It falls into the field of immune oncology, which is rapidly growing and attracting investment around the world. The human immune system is a powerful thing and being able to leverage it against cancer is a very exciting prospect. We believe our technology would combine well with existing treatments like chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
So think of it as an extra weapon in our armory to take on tumors. It could also work in conjunction with mRNA vaccines or checkpoint inhibitors, the kind that are already being used within immune oncology in trials around the world based on a similar principle to the successful Moderna and Merck mRNA vaccine trial, for example, that is currently taking place for skin cancer. So it’s all about masking cancer cells and building an immune response to attack them.
Lel Smits: Yes. And Olivia, the latest research, as you mentioned, supports combining Sofra with treatments that kill cancer cells, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy. But can you outline for us the next steps towards demonstrating this potential in living models? Sure.
Olivier Laczka: So we’ve made a lot of progress so far. And the next stage is to go to more complex testing models to push this technology forward. We’ve already mapped out the next steps, obviously, which involve in vivo testing to deepen and broaden our understanding of this technology.
This will allow us to refine what we are doing and potentially make it even more effective, while also looking at how it actually triggers other aspects of the immune system. So we have a very strong team working on this. And it’s not just Noxopharm, but a talented team of experts at Hudson Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne.
Overall, this is a very positive step. And we’re looking forward to going to the next stage, because we can really see the potential of this technology. And the immune system is a powerful thing, as I said before, and we are really focused on harnessing its potential to develop new drugs to help people suffering from diseases.
Lel Smits: Olivier, thank you for the update from Noxopharm.
Olivier Laczka: Thank you very much, Lel.
Ends