German Biotech's Cell Therapy Shrinks Tumors in All 16 Patients — SkimNews
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- The unnamed German biotech earned a primetime slot at a top European oncology conference to present Phase 1 data from a study of just 16 patients with uveal melanoma, a rare eye cancer
- Every one of the 16 patients saw their tumors shrink after receiving the experimental cell therapy, according to oncologist Sapna Patel, who presented the results
- Sapna Patel told the conference the therapy's target 'can be taken forward in other areas of oncology,' suggesting it could work against pancreatic and ovarian cancers that have rebuffed immunotherapy
- The company now faces the challenge of moving beyond the early, single-arm Phase 1 data toward regulatory approval for what STAT characterizes as a potentially practice-changing approach
- The primetime billing was unusual for a study of only 16 patients; presidential sessions at major cancer meetings are typically reserved for large, practice-changing trials
Why it matters: A 100% response rate in any cancer trial is eye-catching, but a 16-patient Phase 1 is the earliest possible signal — if the results hold in larger studies, the therapy's mechanism could finally bring immunotherapy benefit to pancreatic and ovarian patients, who have had essentially no immunotherapy options to date.
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