Vancouver, British Columbia — January 20, 2026 — Leads & Copy — BioVaxys Technology Corp. reports positive preliminary results from the PESCO study, showing a study subject remains in complete response for three years, exceeding expectations in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer compared to standard of care single-agent chemotherapy.
The PESCO study is an investigator-initiated, open-label, non-randomized phase 1B/2 trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of BioVaxys’ MVP-S combined with pembrolizumab (Keytruda™) and cyclophosphamide in patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC).
According to the company, the primary study objectives were safety, recommended phase 2 dose, and clinical efficacy based on disease control rate (DCR) and overall response rate (ORR). Secondary objectives included efficacy in patients with platinum sensitive (Cohort A) and platinum resistant disease (Cohort B), progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). All patients were followed for two years post-treatment vaccination, and patients with prior immunotherapy including checkpoint inhibitors such as anti-PD1, anti-PDL1, or anti-PDL2, were excluded from the study. ORR was based on RECIST 1.1 criteria.
In the Phase 1 / 2 study, 47 patients with recurrent ovarian cancer received a novel combination of MVP-S, pembrolizumab and intermittent low dose cyclophosphamide. Sixteen patients were enrolled in phase 1 dose escalation and 31 patients in phase 2. The ORR was 24% and the DCR was 82% among patients with high grade endometrial cancer, with median duration of response of 5.5 months among responders.
The company reports that the benefit was more pronounced in patients with platinum-sensitive disease, who achieved an ORR of 40% and a DCR of 90%. Even among patients with platinum-resistant disease, from the phase 1 dose escalation and cohort B (n=24), outcomes exceeded expectations with an ORR of 16% and a DCR of 54%, compared to standard of care single-agent chemotherapy which typically achieves an ORR around 11.8%.
BioVaxys notes that the longest detected immune response lasted 195 weeks for a patient in Cohort A, with this patient remaining in complete response for 3 years following the first cycle of therapy. MVP-S induced survivin-specific immune responses in 62% tested patients and were correlated with disease control in 93% of patients.
According to the company, epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is characterized by a pattern of relapse and progression through successive recurrences, and has overall poor survival due to late detection, high heterogenicity and development of resistance, highlighting the urgent need for novel treatment strategies. Survivin, a tumor-associated antigen, is highly expressed in ovarian and other cancers but nearly undetectable in normal tissues, making it a promising target for ovarian cancer immunotherapy.
BioVaxys’ maveropepimut-S (MVP-S) is a DPX-based vaccine immunotherapy designed to target and eliminate survivin-expressing tumor cells that induces a cytotoxic T-cell response. The company describes DPX as a non-aqueous, non-systemic, lipid-in-oil immune educating antigen delivering platform that is the foundation of BioVaxys’ oncology and infectious disease product pipeline. MVP-S is a DPX-based formulation of five peptides derived from survivin, a T helper peptide, and an innate immune stimulant, which delivers instruction to the immune system to generate a specific, robust, and persistent immune response.
Kenneth Kovan, President & Chief Operating Officer of Biovaxys, says: “The combination of MVP-S, pembrolizumab and low dose cyclophosphamide in endothelial ovarian cancer demonstrated promising and sustained clinical activity with good tolerability. Other studies suggest that anti-PD1 enhances the robust antigen-specific, cytotoxic immune response already induced by MVP-S. These findings reinforce survivin as a viable target for immunotherapy in ovarian cancer, together with checkpoint inhibitors such as anti PD-1.”
The BioVaxys DPX platform presents antigens to the immune system using a novel non-systemic mechanism of action that forces an active uptake of immune cells and delivery into the lymphatic nodes. This allows for an active uptake of antigens into immune cells and lymph nodes for a sustained activation of the immune system in which the T cell flow is sustained over a longer duration than traditional vaccines on the market.
James Passin, Chief Executive Officer, can be reached at +1 740 358 0555.
Source: BioVaxys Technology Corp.
