Oncology Breakthroughs: How Cancer Research Is Advancing in 2025
USA News Group Commentary
Issued on behalf of Oncolytics Biotech Inc.
VANCOUVER, BC, Feb. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- USA News Group News Commentary – Now that World Cancer Day (Feb. 4) has come and gone, the world and the market are looking towards what's being discussed among oncology experts around the world. Recently, the New York Times put out a report asking big questions about cancer and its treatments, including about the impact of pollution (including microplastics) on cancer rates, genetic mutations, and inflammation. In the UK, The Guardian reported research showing a need for further studies into air pollution as lung cancer diagnoses are on the rise among never-smokers worldwide. As well, experts are sounding the alarm as colorectal cancer rates have skyrocketed among young people. Another report found that the EU is lagging behind the USA in oncology innovation. Among the innovators working diligently for more breakthroughs, recent developments have come from Oncolytics Biotech Inc. (NASDAQ:ONCY) (TSX:ONC), Celcuity Inc. (NASDAQ:CELC), Genenta Science SPA (NASDAQ:GNTA), Sellas Life Sciences Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SLS), and Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN).
The article continued: The Center for Innovation and Translation of Point of Care Technologies for Equitable Cancer Care (CITEC) has launched a global initiative to support new projects aimed at improving cancer detection technologies. According to DelveInsight Business Research, the global cancer therapy market is projected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.12%, reaching an estimated value of $285.96 billion by 2030.
Oncolytics Biotech Inc. (NASDAQ:ONCY) (TSX:ONC), a leading clinical-stage company specializing in immunotherapy for oncology, recently shared data from its GOBLET study at the ASCO GI symposium. Oncolytics' presentations highlighted pelareorep, an innovative immunotherapy that trains the immune system to target cancer by turning "cold" tumors—typically resistant to treatment—into "hot" tumors that respond better to therapy.
The presentations build upon Oncolytics' momentum so far in 2025, as the company also recently announced a key regulatory approval clearing a path to advance its promising pancreatic treatment offering (pelareorep in combination with mFOLFIRINOX with or without atezolizumab) in newly diagnosed pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients. Following a positive safety review, Oncolytics Biotech is getting closer to full enrolment of Cohort 5 of the GOBLET study.
At the ASCO GI event, Oncolytics shared that in relapsed anal cancer, 4 out of 12 evaluable patients achieved a partial response for a response rate of 33%, and one patient achieved a remarkable complete response, meaning their cancer became undetectable and remained so for over 15 months. To put this into perspective, similar treatments typically achieve response rates of only 10-24%. This underscores pelareorep's potential to deliver life-changing results in some of the toughest-to-treat cancers.
"In relapsed anal cancer, the efficacy signal that was initially reported continues to outperform historical control trials with the inclusion of additional patients," said Thomas Heineman, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer for Oncolytics Biotech. "Importantly, the complete response we observed previously continued beyond the 12 months initially reported. Together, these results point to a clinically meaningful synergy between pelareorep and checkpoint inhibitors like atezolizumab."
In pancreatic cancer, pelareorep has also demonstrated strong potential to improve outcomes for patients with this aggressive disease. Oncolytics' ASCO GI presentation featured new safety data showing that pelareorep can be combined with modified FOLFIRINOX, another widely used chemotherapy regimen for patients with pancreatic cancer.
"Our new safety data indicate its ability to also be combined with modified FOLFIRINOX, thus expanding its potential to benefit patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer," added Dr. Heineman. "We will continue to provide updates on the safety and efficacy of pelareorep-based combination therapy from these cohorts as they become available."
This builds on prior results from the GOBLET study, where pelareorep, combined with atezolizumab, gemcitabine, and nab-paclitaxel, achieved a 62% objective response rate—more than double historical averages of 25%. These findings were pivotal in earning pelareorep FDA Fast Track designation in 2022, highlighting its promise to fill the critical unmet need for more effective pancreatic cancer therapies.
The ability to pair pelareorep with modified FOLFIRINOX represents an important step forward in expanding treatment options for metastatic pancreatic cancer. These results not only highlight pelareorep's versatility but also its potential to enhance outcomes across multiple standard-of-care therapies.
As Oncolytics Biotech advances its clinical programs and prepares for potential pivotal studies, the growing body of evidence continues to solidify pelareorep as a transformative therapeutic option for patients in desperate need of effective treatments.
CONTINUED… Read this and more news for Oncolytics Biotech at: https://usanewsgroup.com/2023/10/02/the-most-undervalued-oncolytics-company-on-the-nasdaq/
In other recent industry developments and happenings in the market include:
Back in December, Celcuity Inc. (NASDAQ:CELC), a clinical-stage biotechnology company pursuing development of targeted therapies for oncology, announced overall survival (OS) data from two patient cohorts evaluated in a Phase 1b trial with gedatolisib, a pan-PI3K/mTORC1/2 inhibitor, in combination with palbociclib and either letrozole or fulvestrant, in patients with HR+, HER2-advanced or metastatic breast cancer.
The recent study on advanced HR+, HER2- breast cancer looked at overall survival in two groups: patients who had never received treatment (41 people) and those whose cancer worsened despite prior CDK4/6 inhibitor therapy (27 people). For those new to treatment, the median survival was 77.3 months. Meanwhile, patients who had previously been treated with a CDK4/6 inhibitor and received the Phase 3 dose of gedatolisib had a median survival of 33.9 months.
"These results highlight the promising clinical development strategy of simultaneously blocking the ER, CDK4/6, and PAM (PI3K/AKT/mTOR) signaling pathways," said Igor Gorbatchevsky, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Celcuity. "This approach provided the rationale for our two Phase 3 clinical trials, the ongoing VIKTORIA-1 and planned VIKTORIA-2, which are and will be evaluating this treatment strategy in patients with HR+, HER2- advanced breast cancer in the second- and first-line setting, respectively."
Genenta Science SPA (NASDAQ:GNTA), a biotech company specializing in cancer-fighting cell therapies, has expanded its partnership with AGC Biologics to boost its production capabilities. The updated agreement gives Genenta exclusive access to a high-quality manufacturing suite in Milan, ensuring its treatments meet strict industry standards. This move aims to improve efficiency and reliability in producing its cell therapy products. Meanwhile, Genenta has launched a Phase 1/2a trial for metastatic renal cell cancer (mRCC) and expects to treat six patients by mid-2025 while continuing its glioblastoma study. The company plans to manufacture 27 personalized drug treatments in 2025.
"Our strengthened partnership with AGC Biologics represents our unwavering commitment to patients participating in our GBM and mRCC trials," said Pierluigi Paracchi, CEO and Co-founder of Genenta. "This enhanced capacity ensures that we can treat a larger number of patients and further validate our therapeutic approach, bringing us closer to our vision of transforming cancer treatment through cell-based therapies."
Sellas Life Sciences Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SLS), a biotech company developing cancer treatments, recently announced that an independent committee has reviewed interim results from its Phase 3 trial of galinpepimut-S (GPS) for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The review, triggered after 60 patient deaths, confirmed that the trial can continue as planned, showing early signs of effectiveness. The next and final analysis will occur after 80 patient deaths, expected later this year, to determine GPS's full potential in treating AML.
"Based on all available data, we believe that GPS could become a transformative treatment option for AML, offering hope to patients with limited choices, especially those with relapsed or refractory disease," said Angelos Stergiou, MD, ScD hc, President and CEO of SELLAS. "We look forward to completing the trial with the final analysis to be conducted once 80 events are reached."
Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN) recently received FDA approval for its drug LUMAKRAS® (sotorasib) in combination with Vectibix® (panitumumab) to treat adults with a specific type of advanced colorectal cancer (KRAS G12C-mutated mCRC). This approval is based on the Phase 3 CodeBreaK 300 study, which showed that this drug combination significantly improved progression-free survival (how long patients lived without their cancer worsening) compared to standard treatments. Patients taking the higher dose of LUMAKRAS with Vectibix saw a median progression-free survival of 5.6 months versus just 2 months with traditional treatments. The combination also led to a 26% response rate, meaning tumors shrank in some patients, while standard treatments showed no response.
Though the study was not designed to measure overall survival conclusively, the combination therapy showed promising results. Side effects were mostly mild to moderate and included rash, dry skin, diarrhea, and fatigue. KRAS G12C mutations occur in about 3-5% of colorectal cancers, and this approval highlights the importance of biomarker testing to match patients with the right treatments.
"There is an immense need for continued innovation and precision medicine to help address metastatic colorectal cancer," said Michael Sapienza, CEO of the Colorectal Cancer Alliance. "This new combination approach is an important breakthrough for patients with KRAS G12C-mutated metastatic colorectal cancer, offering a new beneficial treatment option for patients living with this devastating and challenging disease."
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