Kiran Dhillon, Executive Director, Cancer Vaccine Institute at University of Washington, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Hot off the press! Our Phase I trial of WOKVAC, a tri‑antigen, Th1‑selective DNA vaccine, is now published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer. The vaccine was safe, well tolerated, and generated strong, durable type I immune responses in patients with non‑metastatic breast cancer.
We have big plans for this vaccine! WOKVAC is designed for cancer prevention and interception. All three antigens it targets (IGFBP‑2, HER2, and IGF‑IR) are expressed in most DCIS lesions, 20% of which can progress to invasive breast cancer. We plan to advance WOKVAC into a Phase II study for the treatment of DCIS, with the goal of intercepting invasive breast cancer before it develops.
The study adds to a growing body of evidence: At SABCS 2025, our collaborators at Moffitt Cancer Center shared results from a multicenter clinical trial showing that WOKVAC generated encouraging immune responses and promising recurrence‑free survival in patients with early‑stage HER2‑positive breast cancer.
WOKVAC is also currently being tested in a Phase II neoadjuvant study for earlier‑stage HER2‑positive breast cancer (thank you Cancer Vaccine Coalition/the V Foundation for supporting the expansion of this trial; NCT04329065). We are also launching a Phase II clinical trial to prevent brain metastases in patients with HER2‑positive metastatic breast cancer (to open later in 2026).
Thank you to Wings of Karen for helping develop WOKVAC and making a new future possible for breast cancer!”
To which Kristen Dahlgren, Chief External Affairs Officer at Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, added:
“Such exciting news and so grateful to be able to fund the expansion of the Phase II trial thanks to the Brian and Sheila Jellison Family Foundation. This is such hope for breast and other cancer patients!”
Title: Safety and immunogenicity of a tri-antigen vaccine targeting IGFBP-2, HER2, and IGF-IR in participants with non-metastatic breast cancer
Authors: Sasha E. Stanton, Denise L. Cecil, Howard H Bailey, Ying Liu, William R Gwin, Andrew L Colveler, John B Liao, Kari B Wisinski, Lisa Barroilhet, KyungMann Kim, Thomas C Havighurst, Katina DeShong, Kyleigh Twaroski, Jennifer S Childs, Eileen Dimond, Margaret Wojtowicz, Brandy M Heckman-Stoddard, Mary L Disis.
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