A Single Intravesical Instillation of VAX014 Inhibits Orthotopic Superficial Bladder Tumor Implantation to Increase Survival

VAX014 minicells (VAX014) have been previously characterized as an integrin-specific oncolytic biotherapeutic agent. The present study was designed to evaluate the potential of VAX014 as an immediate post-operative intravesical adjuvant therapy in the treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). The ability of VAX014 to kill a panel of dissociated urothelial carcinoma cell lines was tested in vitro. In vivo experiments were conducted using a single intravesical dose of VAX014 in the anti-implantation variation of the MB49 syngeneic orthotopic bladder cancer model with tumor implantation and overall survival rates serving as study endpoints. VAX014 rapidly killed dissociated urothelial carcinoma cells, while single dose in vivo pharmacology studies demonstrated the dose-dependent ability of VAX014 to prevent tumor implantation and development, ultimately resulting in a significant survival advantage compared to controls. These results suggest that VAX014 holds potential as an immediate post-operative adjuvant therapy in NMIBC.