- Breast cancer is the leading cancer diagnosed in women, with more than two million new cases diagnosed this year
- BriaCell Therapeutics advancing prospects of its trademarked Bria-IMT immunotherapy treatment for breast cancer in phase I/IIa trial
- Company presented data from ongoing trial during San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, one of the largest breast cancer conferences in the world
The holidays can be a particularly poignant time for receiving a cancer diagnosis as all of society celebrates a season of cheer and shares goodwill with each other, but the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), one of the largest breast cancer conferences in the world, and participants such as BriaCell Therapeutics Corp. (OTCQB: BCTXF) (TSX.V: BCT), shared a gift of knowledge about breast cancer this month through presentations on the latest science in the fight against it and the avenues of hope for those who have been diagnosed with it.
BriaCell Therapeutics counts among the more than 7,000 physicians and researchers from more than 90 countries who gathered for the five-day conference that began December 4 to allow professionals opportunities to connect with each other, learn about developments and obtain continuing education credit. BriaCell presented information on its trademarked Bria-IMT immunotherapy technology, which has shown promise as a monotherapy and still greater potential in combination with a renowned protein-inhibiting antibody recognized for its ability to manipulate a patient’s own immune system to fight cancer.
“Bria-IMT has demonstrated positive proof-of-concept in advanced breast cancer patients, and we will delve into these data in San Antonio,” CEO Dr. Bill Williams stated in a news release about the conference (http://ibn.fm/q7tAf). “We have firm grounds to believe the anti-tumor effects of Bria-IMT can be greatly improved by combination with pembrolizumab [KEYTRUDA®; manufactured by Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK)]. We are excited with the early clinical findings of this novel treatment approach and look forward to presenting our data.”
The December 6 conference poster session presentation showed safety and efficacy results of BriaCell’s phase I/IIa targeted immunotherapy trial in patients with advanced breast cancer, as well as the early safety data of the combination study of Bria-IMT™ with KEYTRUDA®. KEYTRUDA® targets protein PD-1, which can block immune system cells from fighting off tumor cells. KEYTRUDA® attempts to “release the brakes” set in place by PD-1 and let the immune system do its work. BriaCell believes that the combination of Bria-IMT™ with KEYTRUDA® will be much more effective in killing the tumor cells compared with using either of the drugs alone.
“There’s mini-symposia that are sort of small, more thematic meetings that are going to cover several areas like immunotherapy in breast cancer” SABCS co-director C. Kent Osborne noted in a video (http://ibn.fm/ffWdD), “It’s been proven to be effective in certain other tumors; it’s just getting started in breast cancer, so that will be a major part of our conference this year.”
“What is discussed at the SABCS truly guides what is studied in the field of breast cancer all over the world,” another co-director, Dr. Virginia Kaklamani of the University of Texas Health San Antonio breast cancer program, told the San Antonio Business Journal (http://ibn.fm/eqS80). “The physicians and scientists take what they learn here back to their practices or labs the following Monday morning to improve care for patients.”
BriaCell’s aim is to produce personalized, off-the-shelf medication to match patients’ needs without the time, expense and complex manufacturing logistics associated with other personalized immunotherapies, and to do so with fewer side effects than currently approved personalized immunotherapies.
More than two million new cases of breast cancer have been diagnosed this year, making it the most commonly occurring cancer in women and the second most common cancer overall, according to the World Cancer Research Fund International (http://ibn.fm/tzVSy). There is tremendous need for new treatment options for advanced breast cancer.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.BriaCell.com
