There has been considerable interest in yesterday’s news item about JX-594 and its potential applicability to the treatment of prostate cancer, so we have done a little more homework.
At this time, it appears that the primary future focus on clinical research into the utility of JX-594 will be in the management of liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma) and colorectal cancer. (For more information, please see this link to the ClinicalTrials.gov web site.) However, it is worth noting that a small trial of JX-594 was completed some time ago in patients with malignant and unresectable melanoma.
We assume that like most small biotech companies, Jennerex has to manage its financial resources with care in order to seek an appropriate “return on its investment.”
We may have to be patient before it can be learned whether JX-594 and similar agents have significant activity and clinical value in the treatment of prostate cancer — but the potential would seem to exist.
Additional background on JX-594 is available on the Jennerex Biotherapeutics web site.
Filed under: Drugs in development Tagged: | Jennerex, JX-594, viral therapy
Search for new and
ongoing trials on the
CTAG PCa web site
Translation: Liver and colon cancers kill faster than prostate cancer (and others). Trials can be scheduled for 1 to 2 years duration rather than (much) longer. This saves barrows full of investors’ cash.
JX-594 sounds similar to GL-ONC1 from Genelux in that it’s a vacinnia virus. Genelux made a short video illustrating how the virus co-opts the tumor’s immune defenses and leaky vasculature to invade and destroy cancer cells, while priming the immune system’s abscopal effect with remnants of the destroyed cells. Once the tumor is eradicated, the virus no longer enjoys immunoprotection from the tumor and the patient’s immune system eradicates the virus. Seems like a clever approach.