HTBX Stock: The Solution Is T-Cells Not Antibodies

No one ever said investing is easy. The key is doing lots of research and finding momentum BEFORE it happens. We did so last month with HTBX stock when we alerted our readers and subscribers on July 15th at $1 that the stock was set to blast off. Just as we predicted and which you can read here, HTBX stock hit $4 just five days later. HTBX Stock Daily ChartNow, HTBX stock has come back down and many of our readers and subscribers have emailed us asking what's next. In this article, we take a look at a recent study that shows the key to a successful vaccine is with T-cells and not antibodies. This news puts HTBX stock on the leading edge and why we believe funding is coming with the next stimulus bill. For those that missed the first rally, here's another opportunity in HTBX stock.

HTBX Stock

Heat Biologics is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing first-in-class therapies to modulate the immune system. The company's gp96 platform is designed to activate immune responses against cancer or pathogenic antigens. The Company has multiple product candidates in development leveraging the gp96 platform, including HS-110, which has completed enrollment in its Phase 2 trial, HS-130 in Phase 1, and a COVID-19 vaccine program in preclinical development. In addition, Heat is also developing a pipeline of proprietary immunomodulatory antibodies, including PTX-35 which is enrolling in a Phase 1 trial.[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eikfArKjQ50&feature=emb_title[/embed]

T-Cells vs Antibodies

COVID-19 is part of the same coronavirus family as SARS. An epidemic of SARS affected 26 countries and resulted in more than 8000 cases in 2003. While not as potent as COVID-19, it's the closest outbreak that can be studied to determine how best to treat and develop a vaccine.Last month, a study looked for T cells in blood samples from 23 people who survived SARS. Sure enough, those survivors still had SARS-specific memory T cells 17 years after getting sick. Those same T cells could recognize the new coronavirus, too.This medical breakthrough has scientists looking at T-cells rather than antibodies. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, called T-cell studies like this one "good news."

"There's a lot of hot stuff going on right now" in T-cell research, Fauci said during a NIAID Facebook Live interview on Thursday, adding, "People who don't seem to have high titers of antibodies, but who are infected or have been infected, have good T-cell responses."

Early research suggested that coronavirus antibodies — blood proteins that protect the body from subsequent infections — could fade within months.A study published Friday in the journal Cell suggests that everyone who gets COVID-19 — even people with mild or asymptomatic cases — develops T cells that can hunt down the coronavirus if they get exposed again later. Memory T-cells stick around for years while antibodies drop after an infection.The authors of the new study examined blood from 206 people in Sweden who had COVID-19 with varying degrees of severity. They found that regardless of whether a person had recovered from a mild or severe case, they still developed a robust T-cell response. Even coronavirus patients who did not test positive for antibodies developed memory T cells, the results showed.

Why This Matters For HTBX Stock

HTBX stock reported preclinical data for Heat's gp96-based COVID-19. The data, generated at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, showed robust T cell-mediated immune response directed against the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2.Heat Biologics' COVID-19 vaccine induced the expansion of both "killer" CD8+ T cells that destroy virus-infected cells, as well as "helper" CD4+ T cells that assist in producing highly specific antibodies. Both T cell subsets were shown to release cytokines that amplify the anti-viral immune response and, upon vaccination, memory CD8+ T cells migrated to the lungs and airways-the tissue-specific site of interest for SARS-CoV-2 infection. These lung and airway tissue-resident memory CD8+ T cells are crucial in mounting an effective response to respiratory viruses.Jeff Wolf, Chief Executive Officer of Heat Biologics, summed up the results best and why it matters for HTBX stock.

"...unlike most of these approaches that drive primarily an antibody response, our COVID-19 vaccine is designed to drive predominantly T cell immunity along with antibody responses and innate immunity. As a result, we believe our vaccine has the potential to be used as either a standalone vaccine, or in combination with these other approaches to enhance efficacy..."

In another preclinical study, its gp96-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate showed ignificant CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses in airways and lung interstitium (support tissues within the lung that includes alveolar epithelium). Protein S-specific CD8+ T cells were induced in human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A2-02-01 transgenic mice implying that the vaccine will likely work in humans.

The vaccine uses a cellular heat shock chaperone protein called glycoprotein 96 (gp96) to deliver SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to the immune system to induce cell-mediated immune responses.

The USPTO has also issued a new patent, No. 10,758,611, to Heat Biologics covering compositions of matter that are part of the company's gp96 platform in combination with a T cell costimulatory agonist in a single therapy.

The '611 patent compliments Heat's U.S. Patent No. 10,046,047 which pertains to compositions of matter covering Heat's gp96 platform in combination with OX40L, a T cell costimulatory agonist.

White Paper

To read the full white paper, please visit: www.heatbio.com/product-pipeline/scientific-publications, but here are the highlights.

• Published studies evaluating patients that have recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection demonstrate that antibody responses to the virus are fleeting, suggesting that current vaccine approaches that generate a predominantly antibody response may fall short in generating a durable and protective immune response
• Studies from the current COVID-19 pandemic and past studies from patients recovered from the related SARS and MERS outbreak demonstrate the reliance on T cell responses, where CD4 T cells are often required to generate effective antibody responses, and "killer" CD8 T cells may be required to destroy virus-infected cells before the virus can replicate
• An ideal vaccine against SARS-Cov-2 should activate multiple arms of the immune system, including innate, humoral (antibodies), and cellular immunity (T cells)
• Heat's COVID-19 vaccine is designed to drive T cell immunity, while also activating antibody responses and innate immunity, which may complement conventional COVID-19 vaccines in combination approaches by enhancing T cell immunity while contributing to innate immunity and antibody generation, especially in the more vulnerable aged population and/or those with comorbidities

HTBX Stock and Moderna

While the entire world has been talking about Moderna’s vaccine, HTBX stock put out a tweet that really caught our attention last month.[embed]https://twitter.com/HeatBiologics/status/1283432247836672001[/embed]For those of you that don’t know, synergistic means causing or involving synergy. The power of working together is greater than the power achieved by working separately, i.e. the synergistic effect of two drugs given at the same time.

Bottom Line

The recent news on T-cells is huge news for HTBX stock. More impressive is the fact that Dr. Anthony Fauci has taken notice.Who is in charge of the U.S. government's efforts for a COVID-19 vaccine?Dr. Anthony FauciWho can get HTBX funding from Operation Warp Speed?Dr. Anthony FauciWho needs a COVID-19 vaccine to win re-election?Dr. Anthony Fauci's boss President TrumpNo doubt Moderna has also taken notice of the importance of T-cells.Which company has a $25 billion market cap and no FDA approved drugs or vaccines?ModernaWhich company has tens of billions of dollars to potentially hundreds of billions of dollars at stake?ModernaWhich company should buy HTBX stock?ModernaNo matter how you look at things, HTBX stock is a buy.As always, good luck to all (except the shorts)!

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Disclosure: We have no position in NASDAQ:HTBX or any of the securities mentioned. We wrote this article ourselves and it expresses our own opinions. We are not receiving compensation for it. We have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Insider Financial is not an investment advisor and does not provide investment advice. Always do your own research and make your own investment decisions. This article is not a solicitation or recommendation to buy, sell, or hold securities. This article is meant for informational and educational purposes only and does not provide investment advice.Image by allinonemovie from Pixabay