recombinant bacterial minicells VAX014

A population of recombinant bacterial minicells (rBMCs) engineered to express the alpha3beta1 (a3b1) and alpha5beta1 (a5b1) integrin-targeting invasion and that contain a bacterial protein toxin, perfringolysin O (PFO), with potential antineoplastic activity. Upon intravesical administration, VAX014 selectively targets and binds to tumor cells expressing un-ligated a3b1 and/or a5b1 integrins and delivers PFO, leading to destabilization of tumor cell membranes and tumor cell lysis. By targeting un-ligated a3b1 and/or a5b1 integrins, VAX014 selectively targets tumor cells over normal cells, with potentially less adverse effects in comparison with first generation integrin-targeted therapies.