Greenwich - Model GP2 - Nine Amino Acid Transmembrane Peptide of the HER2/Neu Protein

Following breast cancer surgery, a HER2/neu 3+ patient receives trastuzumab (Genentech/Roche’s Herceptin, a monoclonal antibody treatment that targets the HER2/neu protein) in the first year and then hopes that their breast cancer will not recur, with the odds of recurrence slowly decreasing over the first 5 years.  Our immunotherapy, GP2, may be synergistic with Herceptin. GP2 is a nine amino acid transmembrane peptide of the HER2/neu protein.  HER2/neu is a cell surface receptor protein that is expressed in 75% of breast cancer in addition to a variety of other common cancers.  Following GP2 immunotherapy, CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (“CTLs”) recognize and destroy HER2/neu-expressing cancer cells.  GP2 is administered in combination with GM-CSF, an FDA-approved immunoadjuvant, which stimulates the proliferation of antigen presenting cells.