Drs. Duane Mitchell and Elias Sayour from the Cure Group 4 Consortium have received approval from the Food and Drug Administration to test two new experimental therapies in first-ever human clinical trials for Group 4 medulloblastoma, the most common pediatric malignant brain tumor.
Trial 1 – also called MATCHPOINT – attacks tumors in two ways: 1) it trains the patient’s own cells to seek and destroy cancer cells, 2) it eliminates the tumor’s defense system with an additional drug.
Trial 2 is testing an mRNA vaccine – similar to a COVID-19 vaccine, but more personalized since it uses the patient’s own cells. Nanotechnology is used to create the vaccine. Once injected, the vaccine created a targeted immune response designed to destroy tumors.
Drs Mitchell and Sayour told University of Florida's Michelle Jaffe: "This will be for children with a relapse of Group 4 medulloblastoma,” said Dr. Mitchell. “The initial study is a pilot to confirm safety and feasibility in six patients, and then we anticipate expanding the trial.”
“Recurrent medulloblastoma in every form is fatal,” said Dr. Sayour. “We are in this to provide hope that we can move the needle.” “The ultimate goal is we want to cure kids with brain cancers and see immunotherapy treatments move into frontline treatments to perhaps avoid or diminish some of the toxicities of standard treatments we use now,” adds Dr. Mitchell.
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Photos: University of Florida
