Mesothelioma Clinical Trial to Involve Drug Studied for COVID-19

A novel phase II clinical trial for malignant mesothelioma is expected to open soon and involve a versatile, biological drug already showing promise in treating severe cases of COVID-19. Oncotelic Therapeutics Inc., an innovative, immunotherapy/oncology company in Agoura Hills, California, hopes to open the mesothelioma clinical trial by March at a dozen prominent U.S. treatment centers, including the Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania Medicine in Philadelphia and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. “We’re excited about the potential. There is a huge unmet medical need with mesothelioma. The hope is that we can use this to increase the response to checkpoint inhibitors,” Dr. Anthony Maida, chief clinical officer at Oncotelic, told The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com. “The goal is to help these patients live longer, better lives.” OT-101 is the name of the biologic, made from complex molecules and manufactured using living microorganisms. It works by inhibiting transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta), a protein that suppresses a patient’s own immune system and allows tumors to flourish. TGF-beta is expressed in many cancers, but in particularly high levels with mesothelioma tumors. “We are essentially trying to suppress the suppressor,” Maida said. Drug Helps the Immune System Work Both tumor cells and the coronavirus induce TGF-beta as part of their immune evasion mechanism, potentially making ...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: news