Disease Focus: Brain Cancer
A Phase I Study of Chimeric Antigen Receptor Engineered Stem/Memory T Cells for the Treatment of HER2-Positive Brain Metastases
Therapeutic Candidate or Device Autologous naïve-stem/memory T cells engineered with a chimeric antigen receptor targeting the HER2 antigen (HER2BBζ-Tn/mem) Indication HER2-positive brain and/or leptomeningeal metastases, primarily from breast cancer Therapeutic Mechanism The proposed therapy aims to provide a safe and effective treatment option for patients with HER2-positive cancers that have metastasized to the central nervous […]
Phase I Study of Chimeric Antigen Receptor Engineered Central Memory T cells for the Treatment of Malignant Glioma
Therapeutic Candidate or Device A promising immunotherapy utilizing a patient’s memory T cells engineered to express chimeric antigen receptors for targeted tumor killing. Indication Malignant glioma (WHO III and IV), including glioblastoma (WHO IV), that express the tumor-associated antigen IL-13 receptor alpha 2 (IL13Rα2). Therapeutic Mechanism A promising immunotherapy utilizing a patient’s memory T cells […]
A Phase III randomized double-blind, controlled study of ICT 107 with maintenance temozolomide (TMZ) in newly diagnosed glioblastoma following resection and concomitant TMZ chemoradiotherapy
Therapeutic Candidate or Device Autologous dendritic cells pulsed with HLA-specific peptides derived from tumor-associated antigens Indication Newly diagnosed glioblastoma Therapeutic Mechanism Autologous dendritic cells charged with peptides derived from tumor-associated antigens drive the formation of T cells that specifically target cancer stem cells and tumor cells Unmet Medical Need Patients with glioblastoma, a rare brain […]
Ex Vivo Gene Engineering of Blood Stem Cells for Enhanced Chemotherapy Efficacy in Glioblastoma Patients
Therapeutic Candidate or Device Blood stem cells will be genetically engineered to protect them from chemotherapy in glioblastoma patients, producing better patient survival. Indication Patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma (GBM) multiforme, or any grade IV newly diagnosed glioma, will be eligible to receive this therapy. Therapeutic Mechanism Chemotherapy is the first-line treatment for GBM, but […]
Genetically-modified neural stem cells for treatment of high-grade glioma
Our proposal details assembly of a multidisciplinary Disease Team whose goal will be to take into the clinic a novel and promising stem cell-based strategy for selectively targeting invasive tumor cells in high-grade glioma. These tumor cells form small foci scattered throughout the brain that are resistant to standard treatments and are the tumor in […]
White matter neuroregeneration after chemotherapy: stem cell therapy for “chemobrain”
Chemotherapy for cancer is often life saving, but it also causes a debilitating syndrome of impaired cognition characterized by deficits in attention, concentration, information processing speed, multitasking and memory. As a result, many cancer survivors find themselves unable to return to work or function in their lives as they had before their cancer therapy. These […]
Targeting glioma cancer stem cells with receptor-engineered self-renewing memory T cells
While current treatment strategies for high-grade glioma can yield short term benefits, their inability to eradicate the highly tumorigenic cancer stem cell population results in disease recurrence in the vast majority of patients. Stem cells and some cancer cells (the targets of our therapy) share many common characteristics, including the ability to self-renew and grow […]
Recombinant Bispecific Antibody Targeting Cancer Stem Cells for the Therapy of Glioblastoma
Glioblastoma multiforme is the most prevalent and aggressive type of brain tumor, and devastating to any patient unfortunate enough to receive its diagnosis. As the most populous state in the nation, more Californians are diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme than any other state. Over the past 20 years, surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy have been utilized […]
Stem cell-based carriers for RCR vector delivery to glioblastoma
Modified viruses can be used to infect tumor cells and alter the tumor cell to make anti-tumor proteins. Most researchers use virus that can infect and modify the tumor cell it enters, but can not make more of itself to infect additional cells surrounding the original infected cell. This type of virus is called replication-incompetent […]
The role of neural stem cells in cerebellar development, regeneration and tumorigenesis
Stem cells have the remarkable ability to renew themselves and to generate multiple different cell types. This allows them to generate normal tissues during development and to repair tissues following injury, but at the same time, renders them highly susceptible to mutations that can result in cancer. Only by understanding the signals that control growth […]