VivAdju is a biopharmaceutical company pioneering the development of innovative immunotherapy drugs to prevent cancer relapse. In less than 4 years, VivAdju will be able to provide evidence of the effectiveness of its first drug candidate in humans and hopes to rapidly become a major player in this market segment.
VivAdju’s first drug candidate, named VIV-001, is unique. It combines the characteristics of a plasmid DNA coding for Universal Neoantigens, which reactivates and stimulates our immune defenses and, the all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), an immunomodulatory drug, which induces cancer cell death leading to the release of tumor-specific antigens. ATRA is already approved and widely used in leukemia. This combination of products not only reactivates our innate immune defenses, but also strengthens acquired immunity against tumor cells.
VivAdju’s immunotherapy has a 2-fold advantage: 1) It widely boosts the immune system with the plasmid DNA and 2) It releases tumor-specific antigens with ATRA, which also initiates specific immune responses. This strategy boosts immune responses against all the tumor antigens and therefore has the potential to be effective for the majority of cancers in many patients. This approach is described as “universal” and could become a real “game changer” in the therapeutic arsenal against cancer.
This technology was developed by two renowned scientists, Dr. Rose Ann Padua and Prof. Christine Chomienne, who conducted their research at the largest French clinical research organization, INSERM (French NIH). Efficacy studies have already been successfully carried out in different mouse tumor models. VivAdju has established the proof of concept of preclinical efficacy in four types of hematological (leukemia) and solid (breast and colon cancers) cancers. The results obtained in terms of survival are exceptional.
VivAdju’s products and its approach are protected by 3 families of international patents. The first of these patents has already been granted in Europe, the USA and Canada. The other two patents have just been filed to the European Patent Office in collaboration with INSERM.
VivAdju is seeking 6 million euros from private investors to carry out pharmaceutical grade manufacturing of the product, toxicological studies and to conduct a Phase I/IIa study in humans within the next 5 years. This clinical trial will be performed in patients facing relapse of a certain type of malignant leukemia, the high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (HR-MDS). This clinical study will be conducted at the Hospital Saint-Louis in Paris by one of the world experts treating this type of leukemia, Pr. Pierre Fenaux from the Groupe Francophone des Myélodysplasies (GFM). Intermediate results are expected in 2028.
Our strategy and the choice of HR-MDS as first clinical indication will significantly reduce the risks of the project and will quickly increase the valuation of the company.
Based on intermediate results (4Q2028), VivAdju will initiate a new fundraising round of 15-20 million euros to anticipate and conduct the Phase IIb/III in HR-MDS, as well as Phase I/IIa clinical studies in solid tumors (breast and colon cancers), alone or in combination with other immunotherapies such as immune checkpoint inhibitors.
In 2030, VivAdju will thus have reached a significant milestone in the development of VIV-001. VivAdju could then license its product to a large pharmaceutical company and consider co-development strategies. Biotechnology companies that have reached this milestone have seen their valuation increased by a factor of 10-15 compared to their initial valuation. This upside in capital, together with the size of the cancer relapse market, represents an undeniably excellent return on investment.
To better understand the context of this investment opportunity, a detailed presentation of VivAdju and its technology is available.
Thierry Huet, PhD – CEO – thierry.huet@vivadju.com
Rose Ann Padua, PhD – President and CSO – roseann.padua@vivadju.com