Dendritic cell immunotherapy for glioblastoma

The aim of the project is to establish the clinical value of a novel individualized therapy for glioblastoma multiforme. Glioblastoma is the most frequent and deadly brain tumor, with a median overall survival after diagnosis of less than 12 months. Scientists at Oslo University Hospital have developed a novel vaccine therapy raised against a patient's own cancer cells. Aggressive cancer cells grown from the patient's surgically removed tumour are selectively expanded and used as basis for a cell based vaccine which aims to prime the patient's immune system to better recognize and destroy remaining cancer cells after surgery. A previously conducted clinical study of this therapy demonstrated very promising results. Administration of the therapy resulted in the development of a specific immune response, associated with shrinking tumor volume and increased survival. The vaccine has since been improved, and the current version has been administered to four patients, with superior results in terms of immune and therapeutic response. The current FORNY project aims to confirm the above results in a larger randomized controlled clinical study, evaluating the benefit of adding the therapy to current standard care. The study is planned to enroll 30 patients in each Group (the control group will receive standard therapy only). Successful outcome of the clinical study will lead to establishment of a new company, which will handle further development and commercialization of the therapy, in close collaboration with the cell therapy unit at OUS-Radiumhospitalet (OUS-DNR). An important aim of the project is to develop a suitable business model and infrastructure for commercialization of cell based therapies. This infrastructure and knowhow is expected to aid commercialization of other promising cell based therapeutic strategies currently under development at OUS-DNR, and thus have benefits beyond the immediate value of the current therapeutic candidate.