MAIA Biotechnology's THIO Emerges As Potential Breakthrough In Pediatric Brain Cancer Therapy

Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) is among the most aggressive brain tumors affecting the central nervous system in children. Radiotherapy, the current standard of care, has limitations, including short-lived responses that last about six to nine months on average. 

Promising new study data shows a potential breakthrough in pediatric brain cancer therapy. 

Potent Anticancer Activity 

MAIA Biotechnology Inc. MAIA is a targeted therapy and immuno-oncology company focused on the development and commercialization of potential first-in-class drugs that improve and extend the lives of people with cancer. The company’s lead program is THIO, a first-in-class investigational telomere-targeting agent.  

Recent data presented at the Society for Neuro-Oncology’s 2023 Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Research Conference and published in the Neuro-Oncology journal shows THIO’s potent anticancer activity in DIPG. 

The compound's anticancer prowess was demonstrated through decreased proliferation of DIPG cancer cells and heightened tumor sensitivity to ionizing radiation, the study found. 

With rare curative outcomes, radiotherapy is currently the standard-of-care treatment option for DIPG. Several immunotherapy strategies have emerged as potential treatments for DIPG in recent years, but the low mutational burden and rare infiltration of T lymphocytes renders these tumors immunologically “cold.” Often referred to as an impregnable fortress surrounded by a moat, cold tumors pose challenges for general immunotherapy.

THIO acts by inducing direct telomeric DNA damage, resulting in selective cancer cell death. This activates antitumor immunity through the intracellular cGAS/STING pathway. When it comes to immune or ionizing radiation therapies, this enhancement in tumor sensitivity is especially relevant. 

“The data demonstrates THIO treatment’s ability to sensitize DIPG cells to ionizing radiation (IR), leading to a significant decrease in DIPG cell proliferation in vitro and vivo models,” said Sergei Gryaznov, Ph.D., MAIA’s Chief Scientific Officer. 

“These encouraging preclinical studies may support further potential preclinical and clinical development of THIO to be used in combination with IR to treat children with high-risk pediatric brain tumors,” Gryaznov said. 

The results, coupled with recent advancements from a clinical-stage oncology company, point to an evolving landscape in cancer therapeutics focused on both targeted and immune-mediated mechanisms.

Promising Trend 

Tempest Therapeutics TPST has made headlines with its own new data showing the superiority of TPST-1120 across multiple study endpoints. When combined with MAIA's latest findings about THIO, a promising shift toward first-in-class therapeutics has emerged. 

There is hope for improved treatment outcomes thanks to companies like MAIA Biotechnology and Tempest Therapeutics. With THIO's promising results against DIPG, there is encouraging evidence of an industry shift toward innovative and multifaceted treatment methodologies.

Featured photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash.

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