Latest Mesothelioma Immunotherapy Combination Looks Promising

Scientists at the Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center (VIC) at Massachusetts General Hospital have uncovered a novel, two-agent immunotherapy combination that worked surprisingly well in animal models with malignant mesothelioma. The discovery has sparked new optimism for immunotherapy, which has struggled to provide consistently positive results with aggressive cancers such as mesothelioma. “This is the beginning of a new story of hope, a new combination of immunotherapy,” Dr. Mark Poznansky, director of the VIC and associate professor at Harvard Medical School, told Asbestos.com. “It worked quite well in aggressive mouse models. It looks promising for humans.” The combination involves AMD3100 (plerixafor) — an immune modulator that already has approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — and VIC-008, an investigational drug that targets a particular protein expressed in mesothelioma. “One [AMD3100] opens the gate to the immune system, breaks the barrier against immunity the tumor deploys. Then the other [VIC-008] activates the troops to go in and kill the tumor cells,” Poznansky said. “A double hit that is needed. Some cancers, especially mesothelioma, have so many ways to evade the immune system, you have to line up combinations that work together.” Immunotherapy Is Future of Cancer Care Cancer Immunology Research published the findings April 6. This combination also is being tested with ovarian cancer at Massachusetts General and has the po...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: news