Mesothelioma Clinical Trial Targets Latest Gene Therapy

Pioneering pulmonologists Dr. Steven Albelda and Dr. Daniel Sterman have worked for more than 20 years on developing gene therapy to effectively combat pleural mesothelioma cancer. The payoff may have finally arrived. Albelda and Sterman’s long-awaited, phase III clinical trial will open this month to evaluate the efficacy of TR002, a novel gene therapy drug, when used in combination with celecoxib and gemcitabine. TR002, a form of immunotherapy, is a genetically engineered adenovirus that triggers the anti-tumor effects of interferon, a naturally occurring protein that destroys cancer cells. “The hope is, if it works like earlier studies have shown so far, that we may have a new treatment option, a new standard-of-care treatment to offer patients with mesothelioma,” said Sterman, director of pulmonary oncology at New York University Langone Medical Center. “We’re excited about the potential.” Earlier Study Was Impressive In an earlier, phase II study of TR002, the disease control rate was 87.5% for patients who either were newly diagnosed or were failed by standard chemotherapy. In second-line treatment, they had a median survival time of 17 months, almost double the historical control. The three-year survival rate was 20 percent. “A phase III trial gives us the possibility — we have no idea what the results will be — of having another important drug in our armamentarium with potentially proven benefits for mesothelioma patients,” said Sterman, lead inves...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: news