Using Viruses to Boost Mesothelioma Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy through clinical trials is becoming a promising treatment option for some mesothelioma patients. Checkpoint inhibitor drugs, such as Keytruda, already have U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval as first-line treatments for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), edging immunotherapy drugs closer to becoming a viable second-line therapy for other thoracic cancers, including pleural mesothelioma. However, overall response to immune therapies remains relatively low. Researchers across the country are striving to enhance responsiveness to immunotherapy drugs. Leading that trend is viroimmunotherapy, or the process of combining cancer-killing (oncolytic) viruses with immunotherapy drugs. Dr. Manish Patel, an assistant professor in the division of hematology, oncology and transplantation at the University of Minnesota, has studied the potential of virus therapy for mesothelioma for several years. His research led to an ongoing clinical trial at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, investigating the side effects and optimal dosage levels of using a genetically altered measles virus to kill mesothelioma tumor cells. Patel and Dr. Alexander Dash of Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, recently published a paper in the journal Biomedicines that analyzes measles and other oncolytic viruses as potential viroimmunotherapy treatments for pleural mesothelioma and other thoracic cancers. As research continues, Patel believes the day of using viruses to in...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Biomedicines checkpoint blockade Checkpoint inhibitor drugs clinical trials for mesothelioma Dr. Alexander Dash Dr. Manish Patel FDA approval Keytruda immune response cancer immunotherapy response mesothelioma intratumoral injections k Source Type: news