Phase II Prostate Trial Immunity?Research Grants Awarded - 2003
(Funded in December 2003, and to be executed in 2004 and 2005)
note, that onc's Phase II prostate trial started in apr/02 with interim 6 patient (aka final) results issued in march 2003, with "final update" issued Feb 27, 2004, the day the Marsden phase I was announced.
Immunotherapeutic augmentation of reovirus oncolysis in an orthotopic model of murine prostate cancer*
Dr. Don G. Morris MD, PhD (same guy that ran onc's phase II prostate trial)
Tom Baker Cancer Centre (TBCC)/ University of Calgary (U of C)
Recent research into prostate cancer treatment has used viruses to attack cancer cells. Success with these approaches has been limited because the immune system often wipes out the virus before it can accomplish its task.
is this why onc's Phase II prostate trial was prematurely aborted after 6 patients in March 2003?
Preliminary studies have demonstrated the naturally occurring reovirus, a commonly found environmental virus, to be selective against cancer cells while having little effect on normal cells. Dr. Morris will attempt to use the reovirus not only to attack cancer cells, but to also recruit the immune system into attacking them. This two-pronged approach may also work like an anti-tumour vaccine, preventing future recurrence of the prostate cancer. Dr. Morris will conduct the experiments in a mouse (murine) model of prostate cancer.
* Co-funded with Canadian Prostate Cancer Research Initiative
h**p://www.prostatecancer.ca/english/research_and_grants/funding_prostate_cancer_research/research_grants_2003/