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Privo Technologies Announces 95.5% Complete Response Rate for Non-Surgical Oral Cancer Therapy PRV111 in Phase 2 Trial

Privo Technologies Announces 95.5% Complete Response Rate for Non-Surgical Oral Cancer Therapy PRV111 in Phase 2 Trial

Privo Technologies has announced positive results from its CLN-004 Phase 2 trial for PRV111, a nanoengineered, cisplatin-releasing patch designed to treat non-invasive oral cancer and high-grade dysplasia. The study, conducted at four major U.S. hospitals, involved 22 patients with biopsy-confirmed conditions. Twenty-one of these patients (95.5%) achieved a centrally confirmed pathologic complete response, meaning no residual dysplastic cells were found after treatment. The remaining patient was downstaged to low-grade dysplasia. Crucially, all 22 patients avoided the need for standard-of-care surgery, with treated lesions resolving and mucosal surfaces regenerating without scarring or distortion. At a median follow-up of 14 months, no recurrences were observed, and some patients have maintained responses for over 21 months. The treatment was well-tolerated, with negligible systemic cisplatin exposure and primarily mild, transient oral symptoms reported as treatment-related adverse events.

New Imaging Method Links Tumor Cell Spatial Organization to Cancer Outcomes

New Imaging Method Links Tumor Cell Spatial Organization to Cancer Outcomes

A doctoral thesis by Linglong Huang at the Karolinska Institutet's Department of Oncology-Pathology has introduced a new imaging method that connects the spatial organization of cells within solid tumors to patient outcomes. This method analyzes tissue images without requiring the precise definition of cell boundaries, which is often challenging for irregularly shaped cells like fibroblasts. The research indicates that the arrangement of cells in the tumor microenvironment, including immune cells and other support cells, provides clinically relevant information. For instance, specific patterns of macrophages dispersing from blood vessels were linked to shorter survival. The study also found that how closely cells are packed together in a tumor correlates with patterns of gene activity, with densely packed regions showing higher activity in pathways related to mechanical forces and a particular type of memory T cell. This suggests that the physical structure of a tumor can offer insights into biological pro...

Cancer Survival Rates: The Complex Meaning of the 'Five-Year Mark' in Oncology

Cancer Survival Rates: The Complex Meaning of the 'Five-Year Mark' in Oncology

The 'five-year survival' statistic in cancer treatment is a benchmark used by doctors and researchers, but it does not equate to a 'five-year cure.' While over 10 million cancer survivors in the U.S. have lived beyond five years, and more than 1.4 million beyond 20 years, the meaning of this milestone varies significantly depending on the type of cancer. For solid tumors like breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers, which have longer cellular doubling times, microscopic cells can hide and evade detection, making long-term behavior harder to predict. In contrast, cancers with short doubling times, such as testicular cancer, may be considered cured after a few years if no recurrence is detected. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) emphasizes that while five years is an important landmark, it does not guarantee a cure and patients may still face long-term effects or secondary cancers.

Precision Medicine Platform Targets Acute Myeloid Leukemia with Personalized Therapies

Precision Medicine Platform Targets Acute Myeloid Leukemia with Personalized Therapies

A new research project, funded by IFAB and coordinated by Professor Giovanni Roti of the University of Parma, is developing a functional precision medicine platform to treat acute myeloid leukemia (AML). This initiative aims to move beyond conventional, often ineffective, treatments for AML, particularly in elderly patients. The project focuses on the individual variability of the disease, recognizing that cancer manifests differently in each patient. Researchers are utilizing advanced algorithms to test hundreds of non-commercialized pharmacological molecules on individual cancer cells. This approach significantly expands the scope of drug testing compared to the standard pool of about 15 drugs currently used for AML. The ultimate goal is to identify personalized therapeutic profiles that are more effective and can treat a larger percentage of patients who are currently considered untreatable. The project seeks to shift the paradigm from a one-size-fits-all treatment to therapies tailored to specific dise...

New Molecular Matching Approach Shows Promise for Longer Survival in Advanced Cancer Patients

New Molecular Matching Approach Shows Promise for Longer Survival in Advanced Cancer Patients

A study published in npj Genomic Medicine introduces a new computational approach, the Molecular Therapy Matching Score, designed to improve precision oncology by considering the entire molecular profile of a patient's tumor rather than focusing on single genomic alterations. This method integrates various genomic alterations and molecular information to assess how effectively a drug or combination therapy addresses the tumor's overall characteristics. A retrospective analysis of 540 patients with advanced or metastatic cancer, including common types like breast and colorectal cancer, revealed that higher Molecular Therapy Matching Scores were significantly associated with longer progression-free and overall survival. For instance, patients with 67–100% matching had a median progression-free survival of 9.0 months compared to 3.0 months for those with 0% matching. Similarly, median overall survival was 18.7 months versus 9.0 months, respectively. The study was primarily funded by CureMatch, the company beh...

UCLA Researcher Dr. Dennis Slamon Awarded 2026 Albany Prize for Cancer Therapy Discoveries

UCLA Researcher Dr. Dennis Slamon Awarded 2026 Albany Prize for Cancer Therapy Discoveries

Dr. Dennis Slamon, a distinguished oncologist and researcher at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, has been honored with the 2026 Albany Prize. He shares this prestigious award with Dr. Tony Hunter of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. The prize recognizes their groundbreaking discoveries in cancer biology, which have significantly advanced the understanding of cancer's molecular mechanisms and led to life-saving treatments. Dr. Slamon is particularly recognized for his research that identified HER2-positive (HER2+) breast cancer and subsequently led to the development of Herceptin, the first targeted treatment for this aggressive form of breast cancer. His work also contributed to the development of CDK4/6 inhibitors for hormone receptor-positive breast cancer.

ASAC Trial Finds Aspirin Ineffective for Preventing Recurrence in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Patients

ASAC Trial Finds Aspirin Ineffective for Preventing Recurrence in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Patients

The Scandinavian ASAC trial, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 study, has concluded that aspirin does not reduce the risk of recurrence or death in patients who have undergone curative-intent treatment for colorectal cancer liver metastases. Conducted across 14 hospitals in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, the trial involved 428 patients who received either 160 mg of aspirin daily or a placebo after surgical resection and/or ablation of their liver metastases. The primary endpoint, disease-free survival, showed no significant difference between the aspirin and placebo groups, with median disease-free survival at 1.13 years and 1.40 years, respectively. While a secondary endpoint of overall survival showed a statistically significant difference favoring the placebo group (84.9% vs. 75.7% in the aspirin group after three years), the trial was not primarily designed to assess overall survival, and detailed data on post-recurrence treatments were not collected, necessitating cautious interpret...

AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo Collaborate on Clinical Trials for Datopotamab Deruxtecan in Cancer Treatment

AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo Collaborate on Clinical Trials for Datopotamab Deruxtecan in Cancer Treatment

AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo Collaborate on Clinical Trials for Datopotamab Deruxtecan in Cancer Treatment

Kyverna Therapeutics Nears Market with CAR T Therapy for Autoimmune Disease Amid Safety Concerns for Competitors

Kyverna Therapeutics Nears Market with CAR T Therapy for Autoimmune Disease Amid Safety Concerns for Competitors

Kyverna Therapeutics is advancing its CAR T-cell therapy, mivocabtagene autoleucel (miv-cel), towards market approval for stiff person syndrome (SPS), a rare autoimmune neurological disease. This progress comes as competitors Novartis and Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) have paused their autoimmune CAR T trials due to significant safety concerns, including patient deaths and inflammatory events. Kyverna recently reported positive one-year durability data from its Phase 2 KYSA-8 trial, showing miv-cel improved mobility and leg function in 26 SPS patients with a solid safety profile, notably without high-grade cytokine release syndrome (CRS), immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS), or immune effector cell-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis–like syndrome (IEC-HS). Novartis's rap-cel was linked to three patient deaths from IEC-HS, while BMS observed 'transient and reversible inflammatory events' with its zolacabtagene autoleucel (zola-cel). Kyverna attributes miv-cel's safety to i...

Eli Lilly's Jaypirca Approved for First-Line Treatment of CLL/SLL in U.S.

Eli Lilly's Jaypirca Approved for First-Line Treatment of CLL/SLL in U.S.

Eli Lilly's Jaypirca Approved for First-Line Treatment of CLL/SLL in U.S.

Researchers Identify GNG4 Gene as Key Driver of Immune Exclusion in Liver Cancer, Hindering Immunotherapy Effectiveness

Researchers Identify GNG4 Gene as Key Driver of Immune Exclusion in Liver Cancer, Hindering Immunotherapy Effectiveness

A new study published in the Journal of Translational Medicine has identified the GNG4 gene as a significant factor in the failure of immunotherapies for hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common form of liver cancer. The research, conducted by a team including Xiangchou Yang, Yi Xu, and Chenwei Pan across various institutions, found that high expression of GNG4 in malignant liver cells creates a molecular barrier that actively prevents CD8-positive T cells from infiltrating tumors. These T cells are crucial for the immune system's ability to destroy cancer cells. The study utilized a comprehensive approach, combining single-cell RNA sequencing, spatial transcriptomics, and multiplex immunofluorescence to understand the gene's role and location within the tumor architecture. GNG4 expression was found to be concentrated in areas of tumors that did not respond to neoadjuvant immunotherapy, and its presence was strongly linked to poor patient prognosis. When GNG4 was silenced in laboratory settings, cancer ce...

Orano Med Expands Lead-212 Production with New U.S. Facility for Cancer Therapies

Orano Med Expands Lead-212 Production with New U.S. Facility for Cancer Therapies

Orano Med, a clinical-stage biotechnology company and subsidiary of the Orano group, is expanding its global manufacturing capabilities for lead-212-based targeted alpha therapies (TATs) for cancer treatment. Following the inauguration of its ATLab Valenciennes in France, which is Europe's first industrial-scale pharmaceutical facility dedicated to producing these radioligand therapies, Orano Med is also commissioning a similar production site in Indianapolis, in the U.S. This U.S. facility is designed to serve the North American market, mirroring the European site's goal of large-scale production to meet patient needs. The company's TATs utilize lead-212 (212Pb), an alpha-emitting radioisotope, as a potent therapeutic payload against cancer cells. Orano Med's strategy involves developing several 212Pb-based radioligand therapies combined with various targeting agents, with four drug candidates currently in clinical development and a broad preclinical pipeline. The logistical demands for these treatments a...