- Anova is managing the delivery of Phase 1/2a study of DB107 at UCSF, USC, UCSD and with Denovo Biopharma
- DB107 is a proprietary gene therapy platform for the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed high-grade glioma
- Anova helped secure $11.8m CIRM funding to explore safety and efficacy of DB107
- The first patient has enrolled following activation of UCSF, USC and UCSD in the study.
Anova has announced enrollment of the first two patients in the highly anticipated study of DB107 for the treatment of brain tumors. The Phase 1/2a clinical trial is a multicenter, open-label study designed to confirm whether treatment DB107, when added to standard-of-care (SOC), provides clinical benefit to patients with newly diagnosed high-grade gliomas (HGG) when compared to historical performance.
The study is funded with a California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) grant to advance the development of DB107 in patients with newly diagnosed high-grade glioma. Led by Noriyuki Kasahara, MD, PhD, Principal Investigator, Brain Tumor Research Center (BTRC) at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), the study is also enrolling at the University of Southern California (USC) and the University of California at San Diego UCSD, and will enroll 70 participants over the coming months.
“Enrolling our first patients is an important milestone in our mission to advance treatment options for patients with high- grade glioma,” said Nicholas Butowski, MD, Neuro-Oncologist and Lead Investigator at UCSF. “We are optimistic this trial will provide valuable insights into how we can better treat patients and improve survival in newly diagnosed patients.”
High- grade gliomas remain one of the most challenging cancers to treat, with limited treatment options and a high degree of complexity. Treatment for the disease has not changed in 20 years. DB107 is an investigational gene therapy being developed by Denovo Biopharma for the treatment of HGG, including glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). It comprises two components: DB107-RRV (vocimagene amiretrorepvec), a retroviral replicating vector designed to selectively infect and change cancer cells, and DB107-FC, an extended-release oral formulation of 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC), which is converted into a chemotherapeutic agent within the tumor. This combination aims to eradicate tumor cells while stimulating a robust and durable anti-cancer immune response with minimal toxicity.
Chris Beardmore said, “This is revolutionary science where the treatment infects cancer cells and genetically changes them to make chemotherapy inside of the infected cells. This is known to reduce systemic toxicity commonly seen with systemic treatments. It also has a chance to infect cells that cannot be removed by surgery and other interventions to improve outcomes in newly diagnosed brain tumor patients.”
The clinical trial is currently recruiting eligible patients who meet the study criteria at UCSF, USC and UCSD. Individuals interested in participating or learning more about the trial can contact the study team at info.us@anovaevidence.com.
