Dear Colleagues-

It’s an exciting time to be involved in cancer immunotherapy /
biological therapy!

In demonstration of the real potential of immuno-therapy as a mainstream therapeutic treatment option, the research of several iSBTc members was highlighted in oral sessions at the world’s largest meeting of oncology professionals held in Chicago last week. Many other iSBTc members shared data through posters and attended the meeting to represent the growing field of immunotherapy for cancer. In addition, iSBTc hosted a successful booth in the exhibit hall highlighting the work of iSBTc and our members in advancing cancer immunotherapy and promoting iSBTc as the top resource for information and opportunities in the biological therapy /immunotherapy field.

                          Together we ARE achieving success!

NCI STRAP on Immune Response Modifiers

In another nod to the importance of immunotherapy, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has announced they will fund a Special Translational Research Acceleration Project (STRAP) on Immune Response Modifiers (IRM). While there is only one STRAP being funded, it is essential that the NCI receives multiple compelling applications to provide a strong case for near term funding of additional STRAPs.

If successful, STRAPs will provide a new mechanism for prioritization and efficient funding of translational science. In addition, the submission of multiple compelling projects may also provide an outstanding starting point for trials supported by the recently announced Cancer Immunotherapy Trials Network (CITN). I encourage all of you with NCI grants to take advantage of this opportunity and submit your applications by July 15, 2010.

Thank you for your work and your part in helping move this exciting field forward.

Bernie Fox, PhD
iSBTc President

Immunotherapies Front Stage at ASCO

Advances in cancer immunotherapies were in the spotlight at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago this past week, with encouraging reports of clinical trial results for several immunotherapeutic approaches. iSBTc, the preeminent medical association focused on cancer immunotherapy, was pleased to exhibit at this important clinical oncology confab and congratulates its many members who contributed to the scientific and clinical advances that were presented.

Positive results of a phase III randomized trial of anti-CTLA-4 blockade in patients with advanced melanoma demonstrated that treatment with ipilimumab, alone or in combination with cancer vaccine gp100, provided a significant overall survival advantage compared to treatment with gp100 vaccine alone. As reported by iSBTc member, Dr. Steven O’Day, and published June 5th in the New England Journal of Medicine by iSBTc Board Member, Dr. F. Stephen Hodi, et al, treatment with ipilimumab was associated with a median overall survival of 10 months compared to 6.4 months with gp100 alone. At year one 44-46% of the patients treated with ipilimumab were alive, compared to 25% of patients treated only with gp100. At year two 22-24% of the ipilimumab-treated patients were alive, compared to 14% of the patients in the control group who received only gp100. (See iSBTc June 6, 2010 Press Release for more information on this study).

In addition to the exciting results from the ipilimumab clinical trial on melanoma, phase II results presented at ASCO on interleukin-21 (IL-21) treatment of melanoma showed promise for this cytokine-based approach. In an ASCO session on melanoma co-chaired by iSBTc Vice President, Dr. Thomas F. Gajewski, investigator Dr. Teresa. M. Petrella reported a 24% overall response rate (ORR) to IL-21 for first-line treatment of metastatic melanoma, with a median response duration of 5 months. The ORR was not dependent on the dose, expression of the IL-21 receptor or status of BRAF mutation. Median progression free survival reported in the study was 5.19 months (95% C.I. [2.17, 5.95]). The investigators are planning a randomized phase II trial of IL-21 to confirm these results.

Dr. Gajewski noted the potential importance of this IL-21 study. "This was a remarkably high clinical response rate for a new immunoregulatory cytokine, and the toxicity profile seems quite favorable compared to that seen with other cytokines currently in clinical use. These results are also in keeping with the activity in renal cell cancer presented at the 2008 iSBTc annual meeting, in that case combined with Sorafenib.”

In addition to these exciting results for biological treatment of melanoma, other studies reported at the ASCO meeting pointed to additional encouraging advances in immunotherapy for other cancers. Among these were positive reports on the recently approved therapeutic prostate cancer vaccine PROVENGE® (Dendreon Corp.) and an antibody directed at another distinct suppressor of anti-tumor immunity, PD-1.

 Interleukin-2 administration was reported by iSBTc member Dr. David McDermott and the Cytokine Working Group to mediate a 30% response rate in 115 patients with conventional renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in the Select Trial. Dr. Uday B. Dandamudi also reported for the Cytokine Working Group that combination of IL-2 with bevacizumab was feasible and associated with a 9 month progression free survival in RCC patients, even in an era of targeted therapeutics. These promising studies, and other important results that will be presented in October 2010 at the iSBTc Annual Meeting, demonstrate that immunotherapies and biologic treatments of cancer are coming of age and represent a growing therapeutic option in the treatment of cancer.

iSBTc Abstracts Due June 21!

Don’t delay! Only a 2 weeks left to submit your abstracts for presentation at the iSBTc 25th Annual Meeting!

Topics:

• Adoptive T Cell Transfer: The Next Wave
• Clinical Trial Endpoints
• Countering Negative Regulation
• Dendritic Cells and Cancer
• Immune Cell Trafficking to Tumor Microenvironment
• Innate/Adaptive Immune Interplay in Cancer
• Targeted Therapeutics and Immunotherapy
• Vaccine Combinations

 No fees or sponsorship needed to submit! 

Submit your abstract today! 

Deadline June 21, 2010!

New iSBTc Symposium Announced: Immuno-Oncology Biomarkers, 2010 and Beyond: Perspectives from the iSBTc Biomarker Task Force

This interactive Symposium will be held one day before the Primer and Workshop and two days before the Annual Meeting on September 30, 2010 at the Masur Auditorium on the NIH Campus. Registration for this program is free with Annual Meeting, Primer or Workshop registration and is also complimentary for all government employees.

The Symposium includes lectures and interactive panel discussions on immunologic monitoring and standardization of immunologic biomarkers for clinical trials, correlating immunity to clinical responses and potency assays, novel and high-through-put methodologies for immune assessment, and recommendations on the incorporation of biomarkers into the clinical arena. The Symposium is organized and presented by thought leaders from academia, industry and regulatory agencies.

iSBTc 2010 Faculty

Check out the outstanding lineup of speakers at the iSBTc 2010 programs.  View the current faculty list for all of iSBTc's 2010 programs.

iSBTc Manuscript Published!
Cancer and Inflammation: Promise for BiologicTherapy

A manuscript resulting from the iSBTc Workshop on Cancer and Inflammation held in San Diego, CA in 2008, has been published in the May 2010 issue of iSBTc’s official journal, the Journal of Immunotherapy. The manuscript is a result of collaboration of the Workshop faculty and includes information and discussion from the live Workshop. This extensive paper addresses many topics relevant to inflammation and cancer including: Defining Inflammation, Damage Associated Molecular Patter Molecules (DAMPs), and Novel Therapeutics and Clinical Trial Development.

View the complete manuscript!

Member Spotlight: Janet Siebert, MS

We asked Ms. Siebert, a newly joined Affiliate Member, to tell us more about herself and her interest in the field.

Q: What are your research interests?
A: In my work, I integrate and analyze heterogeneous data sets generated in complex translational research. I strive to find analytical techniques for these multidimensional data sets that surface biological meaning, and that account for the fact that in many circumstances, each patient is his or her own control. I’m excited when a research team has a lively and informed conversation that is stimulated by the analysis that I’ve designed for and with them.

Q: What is the most challenging/interesting thing you’re currently working on?
A: I have some collaborators who are using 454 sequencing to identify T cell receptors. I’m helping to analyze the TCR repertoire. We’re getting 10,000 to 30,000 sequences per sample, with V-alpha, J-alpha and CDR3 junction calls via the IMGT web site.

Q: What led you to join iSBTc? / How does being a member of iSBTc help you?
A: I was helping Bernie Fox, current President of iSBTc, analyze protein array data. I joined iSBTc because of Bernie’s enthusiasm. I’m happy to be a member, because through iSBTc, I meet researchers who are doing important work and who are generating the types of complex data sets that I enjoy working with. I can use my analytical and computational knowledge to help these researchers gain more value and insight from their data.

Q: Share a little known fact about yourself.
A: Prior to working in industry, I taught computer studies in K-12 schools in 3 exotic locales — Wyoming, Kuwait, and Tanzania.

You have received this message because you have had previous contact with the International Society for Biological Therapy of Cancer. If you do not wish to be included in our mailing list, please forward this message to info@isbtc.org with "Remove" in the subject line.