GNCA - Genocea's Antigen Discovery Platform ATLAS Shows Promise
Investment thesis
Genocea Biosciences (GNCA) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical initially focused on vaccine development for herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV2) and Streptococcus pneumoniae or pneumococcus, using antigen discovery platform ATLAS. Clinical studies for HSV2 demonstrated some effectiveness; however, results weren't meaningful enough to advance into phase 3 studies. Management made the decision to shift focus from infectious diseases to immune therapies for cancer. Genocea entered cancer immune therapy GEN-009 into a small human trial and announced positive interim results; however, clinical results are not expected until 2020.
While it is tempting to jump into