Phio Pharma partners with Philadelphia biotech on cancer treatment
Photo | Courtesy
Dr. Gerrit Dispersyn, CEO of Phio Pharmaceuticals
Marlborough drugmaker Phio Pharmaceuticals is partnering with a Philadelphia biotech on a research collaboration to help evaluate the company’s scientific platform for use in cancer treatment.
Phio Pharmaceuticals has been working on self-delivering RNAi, which the company believes has a place in immuno-oncology. The partnership with Carisma Therapeutics will evaluate the potential of the RNAi compounds to modify Carisma’s platform to enhance the immune function of cells as a cell therapy for cancer treatment.
Local tumor immunosuppression -- the suppression of the body’s immune system -- remains a significant challenge in cancer treatment, Phio Chief Development Officer John Barrett said in a statement.
"We have established collaborations with several companies and academic institutions to validate our technology's ability to improve the activity of T cells, TILS, NK cells and dendritic cells towards tumors,” Barrett said.
Now, the company wants to see if its technology can improve macrophages, sentinel cells of the innate immune system that accumulate in most solid tumors, that are the subject of Carisma’s work.
“We believe we can leverage both technologies to turn cold tumors hot and ultimately improve outcomes for patients,” he said.
Last month, Phio said it plans to initiate three clinical trials in 2020.
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments