Theralase Technologies Inc (TSX-V:TLT, OTCQB:TLTFF) said that a combination of its lead compound with a widely used treatment to make a much more effective therapy for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC).
In pre-clinical research, the company's lead compound, Ruvidar, when combined with the bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, has formed a new compound named RuBCG, that exhibits new synergistic characteristics.
Using in-vitro experiments, RuBCG demonstrated a notable increase in cancer cell kill efficacy compared to BCG or Ruvidar alone, Theralase said, even in a non-light activated state.
The new compound operates by reversing the negative electrical charge of BCG, allowing for improved adherence to and penetration of bladder cancer cells, Theralase believes.
A widely used treatment for NMIBC, which is diagnosed in hundreds of thousands of patients every year, BCG works by triggering an immune response against bladder cancer cells, effective in 75% of patients but with half of the patients experiencing recurrence within a year as the repulsive negative charges of BCG and cancer cells are believed to hinder BCG's effectiveness.
Patent-protected Ruvidar is said to successfully alter BCG's surface charge to positive, enabling better attachment and uptake by NMIBC cells, thereby enhancing its cytotoxic and immunogenic effects.
Preclinical results revealed that RuBCG significantly decreases the immune checkpoint inhibitor Programmed Death Ligand-1 (PD-L1) and increases cell kill of human bladder cancer cells.
Dr Arkady Mandel, chief scientific officer of Theralase, stated, "Treatment of NMIBC with BCG vaccine presents challenges, as proper uptake of the vaccine in bladder cancer cells requires the administration of high and multiple doses."
He said the new RuBCG formulation "eliminates the surface repelling charge of BCG cells and increases the immunogenic and cytotoxic effect on cancer cells", with overall data indicating that RuBCG is "capable of inducing both an immunogenic and synergistic destruction of bladder cancer cells, which is not attainable using BCG alone."
Dr Mandel added: "The anti-cancer use of BCG can be compared to an uncut and unpolished gem, a "rough diamond" so to speak; however, in RuBCG, this 'rough diamond' is finished displaying brilliant sparkle and fire resulting in targeted, synergistic killing of cancer cells and providing an opportunity to reverse the limitations of BCG alone.
"We expect that the new Theralase proprietary formulations will enable the optimization of various bacterial-mediated tumor immunotherapies to enhance their value in numerous clinical applications".