The Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine of the Russian Academy of Sciences is preparing to begin clinical trials on a drug to treat brain cancer, and these trials are currently being discussed with neurosurgeons.
Elena Kuligina, a senior researcher at the Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, announced that the first phase of clinical trials for an innovative Russian drug based on the cowpox virus to treat brain cancer may include about 30 to 50 patients.
The drug targets glioblastoma, a highly aggressive malignant brain tumor that originates from glial cells, which are responsible for supporting and nourishing nerve cells. It is classified as a grade IV malignant tumor due to its rapid growth and the difficulty of treating it.
During the "Biology Engineering and Biopharmaceuticals" conference, Koligina explained that the first and second phases of the trials will include between 30 and 50 patients, where participants will receive a single dose of the drug, before undergoing medical follow-up for a full year.
She added that discussions regarding the trial protocol with neurosurgeons are still ongoing, noting that the treatment will be reserved for patients suffering from a relapse of glioblastoma after undergoing surgery.
The drug, which has anti-tumor properties, works based on the VV-GMCSF-Lact vaccine virus strain, where scientists modified two genes in the virus to enhance the immune response and increase its ability to attack cancer cells.
Preclinical tests showed that the drug helped reduce the growth of primary tumors without harming healthy cells, according to the researchers.
In December 2021, the Russian Ministry of Health granted permission for clinical trials of an anti-cancer drug developed by the Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with the Vector Center of the Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor) and Oncostar, a subsidiary of the Skolkovo Foundation.
