According to a story from Financial Buzz, the pharmaceutical company BriaCell announced some preliminary results for the ongoing clinical trials of its experimental treatment Bria-IMT. This treatment is an immunotherapy meant to combat metastatic breast cancer.
The trial for the new therapy first began early last year. So far, a total of six patients have received the treatment. Early observation demonstrated that the dosing regimen used in the study was safe and well tolerated by the participants. Side effects with Bria-IMT appeared to be minor. Initial imaging studies of the first assessable patient demonstrated a almost complete regression of lesions on the patient’s lungs. These lesions had been specifically linked metastasizing breast cancer, and had regressed after three months of treatment. After six months, no new lesions had appeared.
The patient in question had received multiple courses of chemotherapy treatment previously, using a total of eight different chemotherapy drugs. However, it is significant to know that this patient shared two HLA (human leukocyte antigen) matches with Bria-IMT. This is in line with BriaCell’s hypothesis that patients with an HLA match will respond more effectively to the new therapy. This is part of BriaCell’s intent to develop highly personalized treatment for metastatic breast cancer.
The fact that the new drug was able to successfully treat a patient that had received multiple bouts of the chemo is remarkable, as many patients who have received such heavy treatment without complete remission are extremely difficult to treat effectively. As an immunotherapy, Bria-IMT helps fight cancer by reinforcing and activating the body’s own immune system. It allows the body to register cancer cells as a threat and destroy them.
