------------------ Benitec Biopharma’s gene silencing technology trialled in cancer vaccine Tuesday, January 10, 2012 by Angela Kean Benitec Biopharma’s gene silencing technology trialled in cancer vaccine
Benitec Biopharma’s (ASX:BLT) patented gene-silencing technology, DNA-directed RNA interference (ddRNAi), has been utilised in a Phase I clinical trial of a novel cancer vaccine and has been shown to be safe and effective.
The trial, which was conducted by U.S.-based biotechnology company Gradalis, evaluated the FANG vaccine in patients with advanced or metastatic non-curable solid tumours, including melanoma, colon, breast, liver, bile duct and colon cancers.
Patients received up to 12, monthly intradermal injections of the FANG vaccine. Researchers concluded that “the vaccine was safe and elicited an immune response correlating with prolonged survival”.
Importantly, despite it being only a Phase I study, researchers found there was a significant survival advantage seen for those cancer patients who had four or more treatments of the vaccine compared to those who had fewer or no treatments.
As a result, a Phase II trial in melanoma patients with biopsy accessible advanced disease is planned.
The results of the Phase I study were published in Molecular Therapy.
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