The "pharmaceutical factory" implant eradicated advanced tumors in mice

HOUSTON – (August 22, 2022) – Researchers at Rice University and Baylor School of Medicine have demonstrated that they can eradicate late-stage dermatoma tumors

The researchers placed the drug-producing beads, which are smaller than pins, next to tumors, where they can continuously produce high doses of interleukin-2 (IL-2), a natural compound that activates

Scientific Cancer Research is the latest in a series of successes invented by Rice bioengineer Mimid Veiseh Labs, including the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval to begin clinical trials, which will be applied to ovarian cancer patients

Amanda Nash, a graduate student at Rice University, said: "From the beginning, our goal was to develop a platform therapy that can be used for many different types of immune system diseases or different types of cancer

The cytokine factory is made up of alginate beads, which are loaded with tens of thousands of genetically engineered cells that can produce natural IL-2, one

"I take care of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma," said

When Burt and Dr.

Speaking of Burt and Ghanta, Veiseh said: "They were impressed by

In the Mesothelioma study, Rice-Baylor's team tested Veiseh's drug factory implants, including their own implants, as well as binding

"Treating mesothelioma tumors in mice is very difficult, just like treating humans, and our data show that injecting these immunotherapy granules locally into mice with mesothelioma produces a very stimulating and very effective therapeutic response

Veiseh said the findings also show that a combination of IL-2-producing implants and anti-PD-1 checkpoint inhibitors can effectively train "memory T cells" that can reactivate the immune system to fight mesothelioma if mesothelioma

"We have a spin-off company, Ethereum, that recently got permission from the FDA to treat ovarian cancer patients, and in the next few months, they hope to start treating patients

Veiseh said: "The preclinical data reported in our latest manuscript help justify a second clinical trial in patients with mesothelioma and other lung cancers with pleural metastases

In addition to cancer research, Veiseh and Ghanta received funding from the American Heart Association to study the potential

Activation of adaptive and innate immune cells via localized Interleukin-2 cytokine factories eradicates mesothelioma tumors