NetworkNewsWire
Editorial Coverage: Recent developments in gene therapy hold
out hope for the treatment of a wide range of diseases, including
fatal lung cancer.
Genprex Inc. (NASDAQ: GNPX) (GNPX
Profile) is focused on using gene therapy to tackle
lung cancer, developing new drugs that can be used alongside
existing treatments. Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) has
created a state-of-the-art research center focused on gene therapy
treatments, which it uses for illnesses including cancer.
Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ: GILD) is using
biotechnology to tackle a range of challenging diseases, including
HIV and hepatitis. Sarepta Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:
SRPT) is developing 20 different genetic treatments for a
wide range of diseases. Merck & Company Inc. (NYSE:
MRK) has treatments in development for both prostate and
lung cancer, offering further hope for those battling potentially
fatal diseases.
- Despite multiple available treatments, lung cancer usually
remains deadly.
- Gene therapy provides a different way of treating this disease,
altering the cancer’s cells.
- Bringing these treatments to market involves a complicated
process that must be carefully managed.
To view an infographic of this editorial, click here.
Battling Lung Cancer
Despite huge public awareness and a decrease in smoking, lung
cancer remains one of the most common types of cancer and is a
major killer in many countries. An estimated 2.09 million people were affected by lung cancer
worldwide in 2018, and 1.76 million of them died. While
prevention has improved, survival rates remain low once the disease
takes root.
Survival rates for late-stage lung cancer have improved little
in recent decades, and better treatments are the dream of all
involved with the disease, from researchers and doctors to patients
and their loved ones. In a bid to beat the cancer, companies are
now turning to new technologies such as gene therapy. But the road
to success is a long, challenging one.
Combating Cancer
Tackling cancer has become a huge issue for modern governments,
charities and health-care businesses. Companies such as
Genprex Inc.
(NASDAQ: GNPX) have put the whole focus of their
operations on tackling the disease. Whether aimed at curing the
disease or extending the lives of patients, these treatments are
varied and often innovative. But the very nature of cancer, in
which a body’s own cells destroy it, makes this difficult.
A number of approaches are commonly recommended by cancer
experts. These include surgery, removing cancerous tissue in hopes
of stopping it from spreading; radiotherapy, in which radiation is
used to contain and kill cancerous cells; and chemotherapy, in
which drugs are deployed. All can be effective in the right
circumstances, and they are often at their most effective when
combined.
In efforts to advance the battle against cancer, companies and
researchers often gather at events such as the Sachs Annual
Immuno-Oncology BD&L and Investment Forum held earlier this
year, at which companies such as
Genprex presented information about their progress. The
cross-fertilization of ideas is as invaluable as the crossover of
treatments, allowing researchers to learn from each other’s
progress and to seek the funding they need to bring treatments to
market.
Genprex has been successful in securing this vital funding,
obtaining monies from a variety of sources, including a successful IPO and a $10 million private placement.
This success has allowed the company to press forward with research
in one of the boldest new forms of treatment: gene therapy.
Gene Therapy for Cancer
Imagined in the 1970s and first carried out in the 1980s, gene
therapy is one of the newest frontiers in medicine. The therapy
involves the delivery of nucleic acids, the tiny building blocks of
life, into human cells. This can rewrite the genetics of cells,
removing parts that are causing ill health and strengthening those
that fight disease.
Gene therapy can be used against cancer in a variety of ways.
Tumor suppressor genes can be introduced to rapidly reproducing
cancerous cells, slowing down or halting their spread. Adenoviruses
can be used to destroy cancer cells. Enzymes can even be introduced
into cells to make them more susceptible to chemotherapy drugs,
improving the effectiveness of existing treatments.
The details of treatments vary and are often very specific. For
example, Genprex’s drug candidate Oncoprex(TM) uses electrically
charged nanoparticles to deliver its treatment directly to cancer
cells, avoiding healthy cells. Once taken into a cancer cell,
Oncoprex’s TUSC2 gene creates a protein that can restore damaged
functions in a cell.
Repairing a cell might sound like a bad idea when that cell is
cancerous, but the problem with cancer cells stems from the fact
that they are broken. If the cells were healthy to begin with, they
wouldn’t damage the body that produces them. Oncoprex restores
pathways in the cell that lead to natural cell death, while
interrupting those that lead the cell to replicate. This means that
cancer cells stop spreading so fast and start dying.
A number of companies have emerged with the aim of applying gene
therapy to specific diseases. For example, Genprex specializes in
tackling non-small cell lung cancer through its
developmental drug Oncoprex. But these treatments don’t exist in
isolation, and while each company’s developments often result in
the profits that come from hard work, they also strengthen the
knowledge base available as the company works to find a cure.
Commercializing Cancer Treatments
For many in medicine, commercialization is a dirty word, dealing
as it does with the financial value placed on human lives. But
commercialization of cancer drugs represents far more than this. It
represents the entire process of testing a treatment and ensuring
that it can be effectively replicated and safely used.
This process is complex, and it is vitally important that a
company understands and controls the steps involved if the process
is to succeed. This leads to the public announcement of
commercialization plans to demonstrate a company’s work.
For example, Genprex recently published its milestones for the development of Oncoprex over the
next year. These include working out details of a newly optimized
manufacturing method, completing the development of the drug’s
delivery system, and recruiting both sites and patients to take
part in clinical trials of the drug. As Oncoprex is designed to
work in combination with other cancer treatments, this will involve
contracting for multiple trials to establish its safety and
effectiveness not just alone but alongside other treatments such as
immunotherapy.
Any such program is an attempt to manage uncertainties. What
sites will be available for testing? How many patients will be
willing to participate? What will the results of the trials be? By
planning for these questions and the steps involved in tackling
them, a company such as Genprex can create a smoother path to
market for its treatments and hasten the arrival of better care for
patients.
Developing Drugs and Beyond
Genprex is not alone in its efforts to find effective treatments
for some of the world’s terminal diseases.
One of the world’s leading biopharmaceutical companies,
Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) is heavily involved in
developing cancer treatments, working in areas
such as metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. Like
Genprex, Pfizer is exploring the potential of gene therapy, and it
is dedicating substantial resources to the challenge. The company
recently announced the investment of half a billion dollars in a
state-of-the-art gene therapy facility in North
Carolina, where it will work on highly specialized, one-time
gene therapies using custom-made, recombinant, adeno-associated
viruses to deliver cures.
Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ: GILD) has been
turning its biopharmaceutical expertise to dealing with a variety
of diseases, including HIV and hepatitis C. The company recently
invested heavily in Galapagos, a company
developing innovative small-molecule medicines. By combining
expertise across the two companies, Gilead Sciences will be able to
develop more innovative medicines. “We are excited to close this
unique agreement, which will generate both long-term strategic
value and mutual, immediate benefits,” said Daniel O'Day, Chairman
and chief executive officer of Gilead. “The collaboration reflects
Gilead's intent to grow our innovation network through diverse and
creative partnerships.”
Sarepta Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: SRPT) is
also working on treatments for a range of diseases, with more than
20 gene therapies in its development pipeline to tackle ailments
including muscular dystrophy. Like Genprex, Sarepta has been
presenting its findings at conferences,
increasing awareness of its achievements and providing
opportunities to seek funding. The company is currently seeking accelerated approval of its golodirsen injection
to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a process that has
highlighted the complications of commercialization. After the FDA
raised unexpected concerns, the company is moving to address these
and so bring its treatment to patients as quickly as possible.
A global health-care company with more than 125 years in the
business, Merck & Company Inc. (NYSE: MRK) has
more than 30 treatments currently going through development and
review. Among these are several cancer treatments, such as one for
prostate cancer, which has recently shown good
results in testing. Merck is bringing hope to lung cancer
patients through its KEYTRUDA treatment. The company has been
carrying out research into the treatment’s effectiveness against
non-small cell lung cancer, evaluating its use both on its own and
in combination with other therapies. The results show a strong
foundation for the treatment of cancer.
Like other diseases, lung cancer faces a growing range of
treatments, not least from gene therapy. Through these treatments,
and rigorous processes to bring them to market, the lives of
patients are being put in safe hands.
For more information on Genprex, visit Genprex Inc.
(NASDAQ: GNPX)
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