Cellcor, Organon Teknika and the Biotech Research Institute have started a Phase I clinical trial of two cellular therapies in advanced kidney cancer patients. It is believed that this is the first time that two such therapies have been combined in this fashion.
Approximately 15 patients will receive OT/BRI's active specific immunotherapy (ASI) followed by Cellcor's autolymphocyte therapy (ALT). The rationale behind this approach is that patients will have a synergistic activation of specific and non-specific immune responses, hopefully resulting in "reduced tumor size and growth rate and prolonged quality survival." ASI is an autologous tumor cell/BCG vaccine which should stimulate tumor-specific T-cell growth, while ALT involves ex vivo non-specific activation of killer and helper T-cells which are subsequently returned to the body.
Cellcor's ALT is also being tested in Phase III studies in the USA as a monotherapy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma, in which it is being compared to alpha interferon. The company is also looking into the efficacy of ALT in non-metastatic RCC, and in April submitted an Investigational New Drug application to use ALT in its first infectious disease indication, chronic hepatitis B.
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