THE WOODLANDS, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Opexa Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: OPXA), a biotechnology company
developing Tcelna®, a patient-specific T-cell immunotherapy
for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), today announced that Neil
K. Warma, Opexa’s President and Chief Executive Officer, will deliver a
corporate presentation at the Aegis Capital Corp. 2013 Healthcare
Conference. The conference will be held September 25-28th at
The Encore at Wynn Las Vegas.
Opexa’s presentation will occur at 8:30 a.m. (PDT) on Friday, September
27, 2013, and will include an overview of the Company’s ongoing clinical
development program for Tcelna, the Company’s lead therapy for MS.
About Opexa
Opexa’s mission is to lead the field of Precision Immunotherapy™ by
aligning the interests of patients, employees and shareholders. The
Company’s leading therapy candidate, Tcelna®, is a
personalized T-cell immunotherapy currently in a Phase IIb clinical
development program (the Abili-T trial) for the treatment of Secondary
Progressive Multiple Sclerosis. Tcelna is derived from T-cells isolated
from the patient’s peripheral blood, expanded ex vivo, and reintroduced
into the patients via subcutaneous injections. This process triggers a
potent immune response against specific subsets of autoreactive T-cells
known to attack myelin.
About Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Multiple Sclerosis is a chronic, inflammatory condition of the central
nervous system and is the most common, non-traumatic, disabling
neurological disease in young adults. It is estimated that approximately
two million people have MS worldwide.
While symptoms can vary, the most common symptoms of MS include blurred
vision, numbness or tingling in the limbs and problems with strength and
coordination. The relapsing forms of MS are the most common. The
Secondary Progressive form of MS represents about a third of the MS
patient population.
For more information visit the Opexa Therapeutics website at www.opexatherapeutics.com.
About Tcelna
Tcelna is a potential personalized therapy that is under development to
be specifically tailored to each patient's disease profile. Tcelna is
manufactured using ImmPath™, Opexa's proprietary method for the
production of a patient-specific T-cell immunotherapy, which encompasses
the collection of blood from the MS patient, isolation of peripheral
blood mononuclear cells, generation of an autologous pool of
myelin-reactive T-cells (MRTCs) raised against selected peptides from
myelin basic protein (MBP), myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)
and proteolipid protein (PLP), and the return of these expanded,
irradiated T-cells back to the patient. These attenuated T-cells are
reintroduced into the patient via subcutaneous injection to trigger a
therapeutic immune system response.
Opexa is currently conducting a Phase IIb study of Tcelna. Named
“Abili-T,” the trial is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled
clinical study in patients who demonstrate evidence of disease
progression with or without associated relapses. The trial is expected
to enroll 180 patients at approximately 30 leading clinical sites in the
U.S. and Canada with each patient receiving two annual courses of Tcelna
treatment consisting of five subcutaneous injections per year. The
trial’s primary efficacy outcome is the percentage of brain volume
change (atrophy) at 24 months. Study investigators will also measure
several important secondary outcomes commonly associated with MS,
including disease progression as measured by the Expanded Disability
Status Scale (EDSS), annualized relapse rate and changes in disability
as measured by EDSS and the MS Functional Composite.
Source: Opexa Therapeutics, Inc.