Imugene Ltd (ASX:IMU, OTC:IUGNF) CEO Leslie Chong and Professor Yuman Fong, chair of the Department of Surgery at the City of Hope and strategic advisor to Imugene, spoke with Proactive’s Tylah Tully about the latest developments in Imugene’s CF33 MAST (Metastatic Advanced Solid Tumours) VAXINIA study.
Professor Fong, the inventor of CF33, described the approach behind the therapy, where genetically engineered viruses are designed to infect and kill cancer cells without harming normal cells.
“In our lab, we prioritized creating a virus that could kill cancer of various types while remaining safe for humans,” he noted, explaining that this latest generation of the CF33 virus has shown positive results across a broad range of cancers, including melanoma and bile duct cancer.
Chong and Professor Fong discussed the ongoing trials, where Imugene has received FDA orphan drug status and is seeing promising tumour responses in patients with advanced-stage cancers, including the challenging bile duct cancer.
Chong highlighted the stability achieved in patients participating in the trial, some of whom previously exhausted other treatments.
She explained, “Even at low doses, we’re seeing disease stabilization, which is remarkable given that these patients have been through multiple other therapies before coming to us.”
As CF33’s clinical trials continue, Chong and Professor Fong are optimistic about the potential to offer a new option for patients with difficult-to-treat cancers.
With the backing of a strong clinical and manufacturing team, Imugene is now expanding the trial to additional patients and combining CF33 with CD19-targeting drugs to further evaluate its impact on immune response and tumor reduction.