Pdc*line pharma

About Pdc*line pharma

PDC*line Pharma is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a class of off-the-shelf therapeutic cancer vaccines. The company was founded in 2014 as a spin-off of the French Blood Bank (EFS) and has locations in Liège, Belgium, and Grenoble, France. The co-founders are Laurent Levy and Dr. Joel Plumas. Dr. Plumas, the Chief Scientific Officer, is the inventor of the core technology, which he developed for over 20 years at the EFS. Laurent Levy serves as the Chief Operating Officer. Eric Halioua joined in 2016 as President and CEO, bringing extensive experience in biotechnology and fundraising.

The company's core technology is based on a proprietary, allogeneic cell line of Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells (PDC*line). This cell line is used to create cancer vaccines that are more potent than conventional dendritic cell-based approaches at priming and expanding anti-tumor CD8+ T cells. Unlike autologous (patient-specific) therapies, PDC*line's products are designed to be off-the-shelf, scalable, and applicable to a wide range of cancers by loading the cells with different tumor antigens. The vaccines are classified as Advanced-Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs).

PDC*line Pharma's business model centers on the clinical development and commercialization of its vaccine candidates. The company generates revenue through licensing agreements and partnerships. A major achievement was a 2019 exclusive licensing deal with LG Chem Life Sciences for the development and commercialization of its lung cancer vaccine in South Korea, with options for other Asian countries. This deal is valued at up to $123 million plus royalties. The company has successfully raised over €61 million through a combination of equity and non-dilutive funding from various investors, including Korea Investment Partners, SRIW, and Shinhan-Cognitive Start-up Fund.

The lead product candidate, PDC*lung01, targets non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and has shown a promising safety profile and clinical activity in Phase I/II trials, both as a monotherapy and in combination with checkpoint inhibitors. Another candidate, PDC*neo, is being developed as a personalized vaccine for colorectal cancer, targeting neoantigens. The company has received GMP accreditation from Belgian authorities for its quality control and release activities and has established a new GMP manufacturing unit in Liège.