I ponder many things ... and these certainly include the numerous innovative ways to treat cancer. I’m sure there are some on these threads that consider I may ponder a little too much. Be that as it may.
I have been pondering the following quote from an IMU release made in March this year. Along with many quotes from the amazing Prof Fong. Just have a quick look at the quote below ...
The multicenterPhase 1 MAST trial commenced by delivering a low dose of VAXINIA to
patients with metastatic or advanced solid tumours who have had at least two prior lines of
standard of care treatment. The City of Hope developed oncolytic virus has been shown to
shrink colon,lung, breast, ovarian and pancreatic cancer tumours in preclinical laboratory
and animal models. Overall, the study aims to recruit up to 100 patients across
approximately 10trial sites in the United States and Australia.
We see that it is a multi-centre trial and it is recruiting about 100 patients (so it is a large Phase 1 trial). We also see that it is specifically a VAXINIA trial.
So ... what don’t we see? This is the key, I think.
Well, we don’t see a trial that is ‘playing safe’, by targeting a very specific, single type of cancer. This is what you would normally expect to see ... well I certainly would. If this doesn’t make sense to you, run a search across any area of cancer research. You should find, in almost every case, there is a carefully chosen cancer target (eg. patients with HER2/neu overexpressing metastatic or advanced adenocarcinoma of the stomach or gastroesophageal junction). That’s very specific.
Why do this? Well, to give the trial a much greater chance of success. A more accurately ‘defined’ group can give you a more accurate target for one thing, taking out many unwanted or unforeseen 'surprises'.
But here’s the thing ... in the above quote it is clear that the IMU team are NOT chasing a single, specific cancer. They are happy to take on any cancer as long as its a metastatic or advanced solid tumour.
• Now this may just be part of an early, ‘in human’ check, to see which cancers VAXINIA can in fact annihilate, in an effort to target and improve our chances at success. This sounds reasonable.
• But ... what if ... Yuman and the IMU team are so confident in what they are already seeing ... that they actually have little or no fear about the response they will see? What if we are witnessing complete and total confidence, in their little chimeric orthopoxvirus ... and what it can do to ANY cancer?
If it’s the former, then it’s sound thinking on the part of a very capable team.
But if it’s the later, then obviously I need to find a little more cash, while the SP is ‘being held back’ at these absurd levels.
Anyway, just the crazy ponderings of one poster, on aquite Saturday evening.
(20min delay)