Transgene-enhanced oncolytic adenoviruses represent a promising novel therapeutic option for the treatment of cancer. A Phase 1 clinical trial featuring AdAPT-001 is ongoing (NCT04673942). AdAPT-001, a type 5 adenovirus, which carries a TGF-β trap transgene that neutralizes the immunosuppressive cytokine, TGF-β, has been shown in an immunocompetent mouse model to eradicate both locally injected and non-injected tumors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAfter extensive screening of aerospace compounds in an effort to source a novel anticancer agent, RRx-001, a first-in-class dinitroazetidine small molecule, was selected for advancement into preclinical and clinical development. RRx-001 is a minimally toxic small molecule with a distinct chemical structure and mechanism of action. The paradox of RRx-001 is that it mediates both antitumor cytotoxicity and normal tissue protection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGlioblastoma is an aggressive and inevitably recurrent primary intra-axial brain tumor with a dismal prognosis. The current mainstay of treatment involves maximally safe surgical resection followed by radiotherapy over a 6-week period with concomitant temozolomide chemotherapy followed by temozolomide maintenance. This review provides a summary of the epidemiological, clinical, histologic and genetic characteristics of newly diagnosed disease as well as the current standard of care and potential future therapeutic prospects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPersistent post-COVID syndrome, also referred to as long COVID, is a pathologic entity, which involves persistent physical, medical, and cognitive sequelae following COVID-19, including persistent immunosuppression as well as pulmonary, cardiac, and vascular fibrosis. Pathologic fibrosis of organs and vasculature leads to increased mortality and severely worsened quality of life. Inhibiting transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), an immuno- and a fibrosis modulator, may attenuate these post-COVID sequelae.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe main mechanism of action of RRx-001, a pharmaceutically unprecedented Phase 3 small molecule that is derived from the aerospace industry, is clarified. RRx-001 has demonstrated anticancer activity through antiangiogenic, immune, epigenetic, antioxidant, apoptotic and nitric oxide (NO) pathways, resulting in its pleiomorphic description as an antiangiogenic/vascular normalizer.
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