Unmet Need
The market size for cancer immunotherapy was worth $58.1 billion in 2018, and with a CAGR of 14.5%, it is likely to reach up to $126.9 billion by 2026. Cancer immunotherapy is an extremely interesting and attractive means of extending the lifespan of patients with certain cancers. However, only about 15% of patients with advanced-stage cancer are responsive to therapy, and only around 25% of these patients live for at least 5 more years. The limited efficacy of this treatment modality is largely due to insufficient infiltration of the tumor microenvironment by effector lymphocytes. Additionally, some immunotherapies can bind to normal tissues, which can cause immune-related side effects and toxicities. Thus, there is a need for a more accurate and effective way to deliver and administer cancer immunotherapy.
Technology Overview
The inventors have developed novel, drug-based hydrogel scaffolds which can deliver immunotherapies locally. These can be utilized in treating malignant tumors with high growth rates. The in-situ formed immunotherapy hydrogels serve as a reservoir that allows for sustained release of therapeutic agents into the tumor microenvironment. The release occurs over an extend period of time, which effectively primes activated natural killer (NK) cells, dendritic cells, and T cells, converting an immunosuppressive environment into an immunostimulatory environment instead. The inventors have found that their hydrogel platforms effectively elicit tumor regression and inhibit recurrence.
Stage of Development
The inventors have developed several chemo-immunotherapeutic hydrogels and have tested their efficacy in multiple tumor models. Further preclinical studies are ongoing.Â
IP Status: Pending
Publication:
Supramolecular prodrug hydrogelator as an immune booster for checkpoint blocker–based immunotherapy
https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/18/eaaz8985?utm_source=TrendMD&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=TrendMD_1
