- Scientists have developed a new cancer medication that can be injected directly into tumors.
- The treatment, an improved CD40 agonist, succeeded in his first trial of 12 human participants.
- Six people in the group saw their tumors decrease, while two participants saw their cancer reject completely.
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Researchers from the University of Rockefeller have made progress in this area with the completion of their human phase 1 study. They tested a new CD40 antibody medication, 2141-V11, designed to reduce tumors and reduce side effects.
The new drug has had promising results, reducing tumors in patients and completely eliminating cancer in two cases, without causing serious side effects.
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Certain types of more aggressive cancer treatments include:
Researchers in the new study have focused on immunotherapy – in particular the CD40 agonist antibody drugs, a type of treatment for monoclonal antibodies. It works by activating the CD40 receiver and causing a response from the immune system.
According to study authors, research on the CD40 has not succeeded in human trials in the past and has caused serious side effects. This led scientists to create a form of CD40 engineering called 2141-V11.
The drug has been designed to improve problems with CD40 and reduce systemic inflammation and liver toxicity. Scientists have also decided to inject the treatment directly into the tumor instead of administering it intravenously.
For the human study, the researchers recruited 12 participants and all the members of the group had metastatic cancers, including melanoma and breast cancer. Participants varied from 42 to 89 years.
Participants received injections of 2141-V11 in their tumors every 3 weeks, with an increased dose each time.
Throughout the treatments 2141-V11, the researchers monitored the side effects and the blood of the participants. They were particularly concerned about the number of plates and the hepatic enzymes of the participants, because they would indicate an adverse event linked to the treatment (trae).
At the end of treatment, ten participants experienced adverse events and seven very trades. However, none of the patients has experienced trades superior to grade 3, and the researchers considered the drug “well tolerated”.
Most of the side effects were light and included fever and problems where the medication was injected.
Three participants had serious adverse events, but the researchers did not consider them trades. A participant had to be hospitalized due to an infection of the urinary tract, and another had a shortness of breath linked to chronic heart failure.
No toxicity of limitation of serious dose has occurred and the levels of liver and platelets of the participants were stable throughout the treatment.
In addition, cancer tumors decreased in six of the participants and two participants made a complete remission.
One of the participants who entered remission suffered from melanoma and the other had breast cancer. The researchers noted that not only their tumors decreased, but that the tumors of the rest of the body had disappeared.
Wael Harb, MD, certified hematologist and medical oncologist at the Memorialcare Cancer Institute in Orange Coast and Saddleback Medical Centers, spoke with Medical news today And explained the functioning of the cancer drug.
“This medication (2141-V11) is an engineering antibody which returns a key” on “Switch (CD40) on immune cells inside a tumor,” said Harb, who was not involved in the recent test. “He is injected directly into a tumor, where he organizes immune cells into lymphatic mini-ganglia called tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS).”
“These act as on-site training camps which activate the cells T killing cancer, which then travel through the body to attack tumors that have not been injected,” continued Harb.
Although he noted that the safety profile of the drug was encouraging, he stressed that greater trials were necessary.
“Twelve patients are too few to draw firm safety conclusions through cancers – laker tests are necessary and are already underway,” warned the oncologist.
The author of the Juan Osorio study, MD, director of clinical operations and translational immunology at Rockefeller University, has been maintained with Mnt And discussed the future of research with 2141-V11.
“We are impatiently awaiting the results of several studies during phase 2 at the national level, targeting cancers difficult to treat, such as clever gliomas, bladder cancerAnd prostate cancer, ”said Osorio.
Osorio mentioned that the first data of phase 2 studies are “promising”, but it is not a unique solution for people with cancer.
“Not all patients react, emphasizing the need for rational combination strategies to extend the benefit of this therapy,” said Osorio.
Osorio said the team is currently trying to understand which biomarkers can predict the response to CD40 agonists.
“In addition, we want to assess in greater cohorts, that TLS or other immune spatial interactions are crucial for effective induction of anti -tumor immunity. Responding to these questions will be essential to fully translate this approach in significant clinical advantages and lasting for patients. ”
