Mesothelioma Trial to Test Cancer Vaccine with Immunotherapy

A research team at Oslo University Hospital in Norway has opened a mesothelioma clinical trial using the novel UV1 cancer vaccine alongside a promising immunotherapy combination. UV1 is a peptide-based vaccine designed to induce a specific T-cell response and increase the effectiveness of the immunotherapy drugs. This is the first time UV1 will be studied with mesothelioma cancer, but it already has shown safety and signs of efficacy when used on malignant melanoma, prostate cancer and lung cancer in studies worldwide. It will be used with the immunotherapy combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab, also known by brand names Opdivo and Yervoy, respectively. UV1 is a product of Ultimovacs, a pharmaceutical company based in Oslo, Norway. The study will soon move into six other national hospitals, covering Sweden, Spain, Denmark and Australia. “Even if we can’t promise efficacy at this point, we believe mesothelioma is a relevant cancer in which to test this vaccine,” Dr. Jens Bjorheim, chief medical officer at Ultimovacs, told The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com. “The hope is clinical efficacy and overall survival benefit.” Pleural Mesothelioma Patients Part of Trial The phase II, randomized study involves treatment in a second-line setting after tumor progression with first-line chemotherapy for those with unresectable disease. Bristol Myers Squibb, the pharmaceutical giant producing the immunotherapy combination, is one of the study collaborators. The first patie...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: news