Vaccinex Inc (VCNX)

Vaccinex, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company, engages in the discovery and development of targeted biotherapeutics to treat cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and autoimmune disorders. The company’s lead drug candidate, pepinemab, a humanized monoclonal antibody that binds and blocks the activity of SEMA4D. It is developing Pepinemab, which is in phase 2 study for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and has completed phase 2 study for treatment of Huntington’s disease; Pepinemab in combination with Pembrolizumab in phase 2 study for head and neck cancer, Avelumab in phase 2 study for pancreatic cancer, and completed phase 2 study with Avelumab for non-small cell lung cancer; and Pepinemab in combination with Nivolumab completed phase 2 study for melanoma, and trastuzumab and DC vaccine in phase 2 study for breast cancer. The company has also developed ActivMAb, an antibody drug discovery platform based on a novel method for complex targets, such as multi-pass membrane receptors or large and diverse libraries of full-length human monoclonal antibodies on the surface of pox viruses. It has collaborations with Merck Sharp & Dohme; Ares Trading S.A.; The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Emory University; Huntington Study Group; H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Inc; Catalent Pharma Solutions, LLC; Surface Oncology, Inc.; and Pharmaceutical and Biotech Co. The company was incorporated in 2001 and is headquartered in Rochester, New York.