Evaxion Biotech AS (NASDAQ:EVAX) climbed 4.2% in Monday’s premarket session after sharing new preclinical data supporting its acute myeloid leukemia (AML) vaccine candidate, EVX-04.
At the American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting in Orlando, the company reported that EVX-04 generated robust T-cell activation and effectively suppressed tumor growth in preclinical models. EVX-04 is an off-the-shelf therapeutic vaccine designed using Evaxion’s AI-Immunology platform, which identifies unconventional endogenous retrovirus (ERV) tumor antigens present in cancer cells but absent in healthy tissue.
Commenting on the findings, Evaxion CSO Birgitte Rønø said, “AML is characterized by high mortality rates and massive unmet medical need as current treatment options are limited and often insufficient. The new data confirms our belief that EVX-04 could significantly improve treatment options for AML patients.”
The company explained that its AI platform analyzed sequencing data from AML patients, identifying roughly five million ERV antigen fragments before narrowing the list to 16 candidates with the highest cross-patient relevance and immunogenic potential. Early testing shows all 16 fragments trigger targeted immune responses.
Evaxion noted that this strategy may extend beyond AML, with potential relevance for other difficult-to-treat cancers where conserved, immunogenic antigens can be leveraged to enhance immunotherapy outcomes.