HS-O1
Current Status: Pre-clinical development
The HS-System is under development for the treatment of patients with advanced stage ovarian cancer. Pre-clinical testing with a breakthrough cell-based product secreting HS-O1 is ongoing in a number of models of established pancreatic cancer. Due to the success of the first HS-System-based product for the treatment of NSCLC, it is anticipated that a phase I clinical trial will be initiated in 2011.
HS-O1 is an immune therapy that stimulates a patient’s immune system to recognize abnormal proteins that are expressed by pancreatic cancer cells but not normal cells. The cells that are stimulated by HeatShock are known as cytotoxic T cells, and these cells are known to mediate regression and rejection of large tumors in both animals and humans.
About Ovarian Cancer
Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cause of cancer deaths for women in the United States, accounting for approximately 15,000 deaths each year(Rosenthal et al. 1998). In contrast to other gynecologic malignancies, such as cervical cancer, there is no simple preventative or screening measure that reduces the risk of ovarian cancer or facilitates its detection at an early stage(Daly et al. 1998). Attempts have been made to expand screening for serum levels of CA125, however this marker correlates best with tumor size, is only elevated in 21% of patients with early stage disease and is elevated in approximately 1% of the population, which combine to give the CA125 test a relatively low predictive value(Jacobs et al. 1989). This failure in early detection is illustrated by the fact that 70% of patients with ovarian cancer have disseminated disease at the time of diagnosis (Rosenthal & Jacobs 1998). Despite intensive efforts, there has been little improvement in the survival of patients with advanced ovarian cancer following conventional treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Furthermore, ovarian cancer is comprised of many subtypes that are classified according to the specific cellular origin; epithelial, germ cells or gonadal stroma. Of all ovarian cancers, over 90% are epithelial in origin and over 50% are serous carcinomas. Serous carcinomas are also the most aggressive subtype with a 5-year survival of only 20-35%(Friedlander 1998). The inability of current therapies to treat ovarian serous carcinoma is evidence that unconventional therapies should be developed to improve patient survival.
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