Mesothelioma T-Cell Therapy Shows Early Effectiveness in Trial

A mesothelioma clinical trial involving genetically modified T cells has opened to considerable acclaim, shrinking tumors in the first five patients who were treated. The phase I portion of the clinical trial is designed to define the safety profile and optimal dosage level of TC-210, a novel immunotherapy targeting mesothelin, a cell-surface protein often overexpressed in several cancers. While T cell modifications in the laboratory are proving safe and well tolerated, the initial signs of consistent efficacy became an early bonus in phase I. Four of the patients treated had mesothelioma. The fifth had ovarian cancer. All five had previously undergone treatment that failed, including one targeting mesothelin. Two of the five patients already had registered for hospice care before backtracking into the clinical trial. “What we’ve seen in the first few patients is very encouraging,” Dr. Alfonso Quintás-Cardama, chief medical officer at TCR2 Therapeutics, which is sponsoring the trial, told The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com. “We’ve seen consistent benefits across the board. This early data is quite meaningful.” Major Cancer Centers Hosting T-Cell Trial The study, which soon will move into phase II, is being conducted at five top cancer centers across the country. They are: The National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville, Tennessee University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston Penn Med...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: news