Oncolytics Expected To Announce Progress On New Glioblastoma Treatment This Spring

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Oncolytics Biotech Inc. ONCY focuses on developing more effective immunotherapies that can be adapted to a wide range of difficult-to-treat cancers like metastatic breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, and multiple myeloma. 

Using its proprietary immunotherapeutic agent, pelareorep, in combination with existing cancer treatments, the company’s goal is to renew hope in patients with more aggressive cancers who typically face a grim prognosis.

In April, the company is expected to release new data from its glioblastoma study, in which it’s evaluating the potential of combining pelareorep with leading cancer therapies to improve the outlook for glioblastoma patients. Here’s a look at the glioblastoma market and how Oncolytics’ upcoming clinical results could break new ground in that space.

Glioblastoma Market

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of the most common and aggressive malignant brain cancers and it typically develops in the brain or spinal cord. In the United States alone, an estimated 10,000 people die from GBM each year.

The cancer is so aggressive that the five-year survival rate is less than 7%, and most patients are expected to succumb in just a few months — even with treatment. This tragically low survival rate is partly because of how treatment-resistant and complex the cancer is.

In addition to high mortality rates, GBM’s location in or near the brain means it can cause severe changes in mood and personality, impair cognitive function, trigger seizures, and cause other painful symptoms.

First-line treatment begins with the surgical removal of as much of the cancer as possible without injuring the rest of the brain. Unfortunately, full removal is impossible, because GBM typically has migrating tumor cells that surround the solid tumor and spread into the normal tissue around it. After surgery, patients typically begin a combined course of chemotherapy and radiation to try to kill as many of the remaining tumor cells as possible.

Even with this three part approach, treatment is unlikely to extend a patient’s life by much more than a few extra months — and those will be months spent experiencing the painful side effects of both chemotherapy and radiation.

The glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) treatment market is projected to reach $4.2 billion by 2028. However, these projections are based on a market that’s largely lacking in major scientific breakthroughs.

That could soon change, as major players in the broader cancer therapy space are starting to collaborate in an effort to speed up progress toward a new standard of care for GBM that could provide meaningful improvements in survival and quality of life. That’s where Oncolytics looks to come in.

Oncolytics’s Glioblastoma Research

At the end of 2020, Oncolytics presented the results from its ReoGlio trial. The phase 1b study evaluated the potential of treating GBM with a combination of the company’s proprietary pelareorep and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) added to the standard treatment consisting of radiation and the chemotherapy temozolomide. 

GM-CSF stimulates the growth of new white blood cells in an effort to strengthen the body’s natural immune response against the cancer. Temozolomide is also known as TEMODAR®, and is a type of chemotherapy manufactured by Merck & Co., Inc. MRK that is used to treat a variety of brain cancers. 

The phase 1b trial was primarily conducted to find the maximum tolerated dose of pelareorep, but researchers also wanted to get preliminary data on how effective the combination was as a treatment. 

In addition to finding the treatment is safe and well-tolerated, researchers also reported that the median progression-free survival among patients is about eight months. More telling, patients receiving higher doses of pelareorep had longer progression-free survival than those receiving lower doses. Those receiving the higher dose were also more likely to see shrinkage in tumor size after treatment. 

Oncolytics continues to monitor the combination treatment and expects to report new data in April. The company is optimistic about the results and hopes to continue making progress toward a more effective treatment for this extremely aggressive and difficult-to-treat cancer. 

This post contains sponsored advertising content. This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be investing advice.

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