MARY CROWLEY ADVANCES NEW TARGETED INVESTIGATIONAL THERAPY FOR EWING SARCOMA
PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 9, 2016
MARY CROWLEY ADVANCES NEW TARGETED INVESTIGATIONAL THERAPY FOR EWING SARCOMA
Targeted Clinical Trial for Ewing Sarcoma Now Open
DALLAS, December 9, 2016 – Mary Crowley Cancer Research has opened a new Phase I clinical trial for advanced Type 1 Ewing sarcoma, a rare bone cancer affecting children, adolescents, and young adults. The first patient has received the investigational therapy and is currently undergoing a response evaluation. Patients with rapidly recurrent Ewing sarcoma have less than a 10% chance of surviving more than five years, and yet no new treatments have been developed in decades. The Principal Investigator for the clinical trial is Dr. Maurizio Ghisoli located at Medical City Hospital Dallas.
The investigational agent, pbi-shRNA EWS/FLI1 Lipoplex, is the only agent currently under investigation in the U.S. that targets the EWS/FLI1 translocation, or Driver Gene, specific to Ewing sarcoma. Developed by Dallas biotech company Strike Bio, Inc., this agent utilizes a platform RNA interference technology that, if proven, could be applied to multiple other cancers with elusive targets. Mary Crowley is already in the process of expanding this technology for more sarcoma subtypes. Mary Crowley has dedicated research efforts to impact Ewing sarcoma, offering patients access to three clinical trials for patients with the rare disease. In 2009, Mary Crowley began exploring adult RNAi anti-cancer technology and its potential application for children fighting Ewing’s. The resulting immunotherapy is now in Phase II testing at multiple sites across the U.S., including Mary Crowley. “Since 2012, we have enrolled more than 24 children with advanced Ewing sarcoma on innovative molecular and immunotherapy trials. I am excited to offer these patients access to cutting edge clinical trials,” said Maurizio Ghisoli, M.D.
Laura Rutledge of the Rutledge Foundation said, “Until our own daughter was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma at the age of 15, I had no idea of the lack of funding for new cancer therapies, especially for rare cancers, like our daughter's. Because of the grass-roots support of families who have been affected by cancer and donors who believe in our mission, the Rutledge Foundation has been able to lead the way in supporting Mary Crowley's development of targeted and immune-based cancer therapies.”
Despite a serious need for new treatment approaches, new cancer therapies for children generally lag years behind those for adults due to the smaller pediatric cancer population and fewer funding sources. Private philanthropy has proven crucial to development of novel approaches in pediatric cancers. Families impacted by Ewing sarcoma have united with private foundations and Mary Crowley to pursue innovative treatments.
Special gratitude to those making this new Ewing’s sarcoma therapy a reality: Aileen and Jack Pratt Foundation, Alan B. Slifka Foundation, Carson Sarcoma Foundation, Crowley Carter Foundation, Dani’s Foundation, Don and Linda Carter, Family and Friends of Sam Day, Helen L. Kay Charitable Trust, Hillcrest Foundation, Horace C. Cabe Foundation, Hyundai Hope on Wheels, Marilyn Augur Family Foundation, Rutledge Foundation, Speedway Children’s Charities-Silver Dollar at the Ranch, The CHEMOWARRIOR Foundation, The Crystal Charity Ball, Triumph over Kid Cancer, W.P. and Bulah Luse Foundation, and Young Texans Against Cancer
Mary Crowley Cancer Research, a 501C3 non-profit, works to find potentially curative treatments for cancer patients through clinical trial testing. Our patient-specific approach uniquely aligns an individual’s cancer with the newest discoveries in personalized genomic and immune therapies. Mary Crowley advances science and HOPE for cancer patients worldwide.
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For more information about this clinical trial, contact:
Principal Investigator, Dr. Maurizio Ghisoli Medical City Hospital Dallas, 7777 Forest Lane, Suite D 400, Dallas, TX 75251 972-566-6647 | Patient Navigator at 972-566-3094
