On March 24, 2021 Seraph Research Institute (SRI) and Enochian BioSciences, Inc., a company focused on gene-modified cellular and immune therapies in infectious diseases and cancer, reported that a 36-year old patient with recurrent glioblastoma achieved complete remission for a period of 15 months (Press release, Enochian BioSciences, MAR 24, 2021, View Source [SID1234577077]). The important findings were published today, in the peer-reviewed American Journal of Case Reports View Source
Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:
Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing
Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!
A complete remission response such as this is uncommon for this highly aggressive and deadly form of brain cancer.
In compliance with U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidance, SRI treated the patient with natural killer (NK) and dendritic cells (DC) from a relative who had a partial genetic mismatch. The DCs were loaded with a component of cytomegalovirus that is known to be present in more than 90 percent of glioblastomas.
Enochian BioSciences acquired the intellectual property for an approach that is similar to the one used for this successful clinical outcome. The novel, proprietary strategy includes genetic modification of DCs, potentially increasing the immune response and even more effectively attacking tumors. Enochian BioSciences is actively developing this enhanced immune technology, including proof-of-concept in vivo studies of the potential to clear tumors with a focus on pancreatic cancer. In the U.S. alone, more than 60,000 persons are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and more than 48,000 die from the disease each year. The treatment strategy also could be applicable to several solid tumors.
Dr. Anahid Jewett, a renowned tumor immunologist and cell and gene therapy investigator at UCLA who has developed a humanized mouse model of pancreatic cancer, said: "This exciting clinical finding, as well as many other directions for therapy which Enochian BioSciences is currently undertaking to develop related approaches, gives hope for the possibility of effective treatment for pancreatic cancer and other solid tumors in the future."