Antigen Express, Inc., the wholly-owned immunotherapeutics subsidiary of Generex Biotechnology Corporation, has signed a second collaboration agreement with the Mayo Clinic.

Antigen Express previously entered into an agreement with the Mayo Clinic to work with Dr Keith Knutson, a leader in the field of peptide vaccines in breast cancer. The current agreement focuses on advancing an immunotherapeutic vaccine for melanoma into the clinic with Dr Svetomir Markovic, a distinguished translational researcher with expertise in melanoma trials.

Antigen Express has previously identified a novel peptide vaccine for melanoma and published its findings in an article titled, "Enhanced CD4+ T-Cell Response in DR4-Transgenic Mice to a Hybrid Peptide Linking the Ii-Key Segment of the Invariant Chain to the Melanoma gp100(48-58) MHC Class II Epitope," in the Journal of Immunotherapy, volume 28, pages 352-358, 2005.

"We are excited to begin the process of moving this into the clinic with Dr. Markovic," said Dr Eric von Hofe, president of Antigen Express. "He is an outstanding investigator with whom we are fortunate to have the opportunity to work".

The immunotherapeutic melanoma vaccine was constructed using the same technology as was employed for AE37, Antigen Express's most advanced peptide vaccine currently in phase II clinical trials in patients with breast cancer. The strategy is based on modifying fragments of a cancer-associated protein using proprietary methods to increase the antigen-specific stimulation of CD4+ T helper cells. The stimulation of T helper cells has been shown to be critical in achieving tumour immunity.

Generex is engaged in the research, development, and commercialization of drug delivery systems and technologies. The company has developed a proprietary platform technology for the delivery of drugs into the human body through the oral cavity (with no deposit in the lungs).