Gene Therapy Treatments Offer Hope for Cancer Patients

NetworkNewsWire Editorial Coverage

News provided by

Sep 04, 2019, 08:50 ET

NEW YORK, Sept. 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Recent developments in gene therapy hold out hope for the treatment of a wide range of diseases, including fatal lung cancer.

Genprex Inc. (NASDAQ:GNPX) (GNPX Profile) is focused on using gene therapy to tackle lung cancer, developing new drugs that can be used alongside existing treatments. Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) has created a state-of-the-art research center focused on gene therapy treatments, which it uses for illnesses including cancer. Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) is using biotechnology to tackle a range of challenging diseases, including HIV and hepatitis. Sarepta Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:SRPT) is developing 20 different genetic treatments for a wide range of diseases. Merck & Company Inc. (NYSE:MRK) has treatments in development for both prostate and lung cancer, offering further hope for those battling potentially fatal diseases.

Despite multiple available treatments, lung cancer usually remains deadly.
Gene therapy provides a different way of treating this disease, altering the cancer's cells.
Bringing these treatments to market involves a complicated process that must be carefully managed.

To view an infographic of this editorial, click here.

Battling Lung Cancer

Despite huge public awareness and a decrease in smoking, lung cancer remains one of the most common types of cancer and is a major killer in many countries. An estimated 2.09 million people were affected by lung cancer worldwide in 2018, and 1.76 million of them died. While prevention has improved, survival rates remain low once the disease takes root.

Survival rates for late-stage lung cancer have improved little in recent decades, and better treatments are the dream of all involved with the disease, from researchers and doctors to patients and their loved ones. In a bid to beat the cancer, companies are now turning to new technologies such as gene therapy. But the road to success is a long, challenging one.

Combating Cancer

Tackling cancer has become a huge issue for modern governments, charities and health-care businesses. Companies such as Genprex Inc. (NASDAQ:GNPX) have put the whole focus of their operations on tackling the disease. Whether aimed at curing the disease or extending the lives of patients, these treatments are varied and often innovative. But the very nature of cancer, in which a body's own cells destroy it, makes this difficult.

A number of approaches are commonly recommended by cancer experts. These include surgery, removing cancerous tissue in hopes of stopping it from spreading; radiotherapy, in which radiation is used to contain and kill cancerous cells; and chemotherapy, in which drugs are deployed. All can be effective in the right circumstances, and they are often at their most effective when combined.

In efforts to advance the battle against cancer, companies and researchers often gather at events such as the Sachs Annual Immuno-Oncology BD&L and Investment Forum held earlier this year, at which companies such as Genprex presented information about their progress. The cross-fertilization of ideas is as invaluable as the crossover of treatments, allowing researchers to learn from each other's progress and to seek the funding they need to bring treatments to market.

Genprex has been successful in securing this vital funding, obtaining monies from a variety of sources, including a successful IPO and a $10 million private placement. This success has allowed the company to press forward with research in one of the boldest new forms of treatment: gene therapy.

Gene Therapy for Cancer

Imagined in the 1970s and first carried out in the 1980s, gene therapy is one of the newest frontiers in medicine. The therapy involves the delivery of nucleic acids, the tiny building blocks of life, into human cells. This can rewrite the genetics of cells, removing parts that are causing ill health and strengthening those that fight disease.

Gene therapy can be used against cancer in a variety of ways. Tumor suppressor genes can be introduced to rapidly reproducing cancerous cells, slowing down or halting their spread. Adenoviruses can be used to destroy cancer cells. Enzymes can even be introduced into cells to make them more susceptible to chemotherapy drugs, improving the effectiveness of existing treatments.

The details of treatments vary and are often very specific. For example, Genprex's drug candidate Oncoprex(TM) uses electrically charged nanoparticles to deliver its treatment directly to cancer cells, avoiding healthy cells. Once taken into a cancer cell, Oncoprex's TUSC2 gene creates a protein that can restore damaged functions in a cell.

Repairing a cell might sound like a bad idea when that cell is cancerous, but the problem with cancer cells stems from the fact that they are broken. If the cells were healthy to begin with, they wouldn't damage the body that produces them. Oncoprex restores pathways in the cell that lead to natural cell death, while interrupting those that lead the cell to replicate. This means that cancer cells stop spreading so fast and start dying.

A number of companies have emerged with the aim of applying gene therapy to specific diseases. For example, Genprex specializes in tackling non-small cell lung cancer through its developmental drug Oncoprex. But these treatments don't exist in isolation, and while each company's developments often result in the profits that come from hard work, they also strengthen the knowledge base available as the company works to find a cure.

Commercializing Cancer Treatments

For many in medicine, commercialization is a dirty word, dealing as it does with the financial value placed on human lives. But commercialization of cancer drugs represents far more than this. It represents the entire process of testing a treatment and ensuring that it can be effectively replicated and safely used.

This process is complex, and it is vitally important that a company understands and controls the steps involved if the process is to succeed. This leads to the public announcement of commercialization plans to demonstrate a company's work.

For example, Genprex recently published its milestones for the development of Oncoprex over the next year. These include working out details of a newly optimized manufacturing method, completing the development of the drug's delivery system, and recruiting both sites and patients to take part in clinical trials of the drug. As Oncoprex is designed to work in combination with other cancer treatments, this will involve contracting for multiple trials to establish its safety and effectiveness not just alone but alongside other treatments such as immunotherapy.

Any such program is an attempt to manage uncertainties. What sites will be available for testing? How many patients will be willing to participate? What will the results of the trials be? By planning for these questions and the steps involved in tackling them, a company such as Genprex can create a smoother path to market for its treatments and hasten the arrival of better care for patients.

Developing Drugs and Beyond

Genprex is not alone in its efforts to find effective treatments for some of the world's terminal diseases.

One of the world's leading biopharmaceutical companies, Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) is heavily involved in developing cancer treatments, working in areas such as metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. Like Genprex, Pfizer is exploring the potential of gene therapy, and it is dedicating substantial resources to the challenge. The company recently announced the investment of half a billion dollars in a state-of-the-art gene therapy facility in North Carolina, where it will work on highly specialized, one-time gene therapies using custom-made, recombinant, adeno-associated viruses to deliver cures.

Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) has been turning its biopharmaceutical expertise to dealing with a variety of diseases, including HIV and hepatitis C. The company recently invested heavily in Galapagos, a company developing innovative small-molecule medicines. By combining expertise across the two companies, Gilead Sciences will be able to develop more innovative medicines. "We are excited to close this unique agreement, which will generate both long-term strategic value and mutual, immediate benefits," said Daniel O'Day, Chairman and chief executive officer of Gilead. "The collaboration reflects Gilead's intent to grow our innovation network through diverse and creative partnerships."

Sarepta Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:SRPT) is also working on treatments for a range of diseases, with more than 20 gene therapies in its development pipeline to tackle ailments including muscular dystrophy. Like Genprex, Sarepta has been presenting its findings at conferences, increasing awareness of its achievements and providing opportunities to seek funding. The company is currently seeking accelerated approval of its golodirsen injection to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a process that has highlighted the complications of commercialization. After the FDA raised unexpected concerns, the company is moving to address these and so bring its treatment to patients as quickly as possible.

A global health-care company with more than 125 years in the business, Merck & Company Inc. (NYSE:MRK) has more than 30 treatments currently going through development and review. Among these are several cancer treatments, such as one for prostate cancer, which has recently shown good results in testing. Merck is bringing hope to lung cancer patients through its KEYTRUDA treatment. The company has been carrying out research into the treatment's effectiveness against non-small cell lung cancer, evaluating its use both on its own and in combination with other therapies. The results show a strong foundation for the treatment of cancer.

Like other diseases, lung cancer faces a growing range of treatments, not least from gene therapy. Through these treatments, and rigorous processes to bring them to market, the lives of patients are being put in safe hands.

For more information about Genprex, please visit Genprex Inc. (NASDAQ:GNPX).

About NetworkNewsWire

NetworkNewsWire (NNW) is a financial news and content distribution company that provides (1) access to a network of wire services via NetworkWire to reach all target markets, industries and demographics in the most effective manner possible, (2) article and editorial syndication to 5,000+ news outlets (3), enhanced press release services to ensure maximum impact, (4) social media distribution via the Investor Brand Network (IBN) to nearly 2 million followers, (5) a full array of corporate communications solutions, and (6) a total news coverage solution with NNW Prime. As a multifaceted organization with an extensive team of contributing journalists and writers, NNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that desire to reach a wide audience of investors, consumers, journalists and the general public. By cutting through the overload of information in today's market, NNW brings its clients unparalleled visibility, recognition and brand awareness. NNW is where news, content and information converge. For more information, please visit https://www.NetworkNewsWire.com.

Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the NetworkNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by NNW, wherever published or re-published: http://NNW.fm/Disclaimer

DISCLAIMER: NetworkNewsWire (NNW) is the source of the Article and content set forth above. References to any issuer other than the profiled issuer are intended solely to identify industry participants and do not constitute an endorsement of any issuer and do not constitute a comparison to the profiled issuer. FN Media Group (FNM) is a third-party publisher and news dissemination service provider, which disseminates electronic information through multiple online media channels. FNM is NOT affiliated with NNW or any company mentioned herein. The commentary, views and opinions expressed in this release by NNW are solely those of NNW and are not shared by and do not reflect in any manner the views or opinions of FNM. Readers of this Article and content agree that they cannot and will not seek to hold liable NNW and FNM for any investment decisions by their readers or subscribers. NNW and FNM and their respective affiliated companies are a news dissemination and financial marketing solutions provider and are NOT registered broker-dealers/analysts/investment advisers, hold no investment licenses and may NOT sell, offer to sell or offer to buy any security.

The Article and content related to the profiled company represent the personal and subjective views of the Author, and are subject to change at any time without notice. The information provided in the Article and the content has been obtained from sources which the Author believes to be reliable. However, the Author has not independently verified or otherwise investigated all such information. None of the Author, NNW, FNM, or any of their respective affiliates, guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any such information. This Article and content are not, and should not be regarded as investment advice or as a recommendation regarding any particular security or course of action; readers are strongly urged to speak with their own investment advisor and review all of the profiled issuer's filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission before making any investment decisions and should understand the risks associated with an investment in the profiled issuer's securities, including, but not limited to, the complete loss of your investment.

NNW & FNM HOLDS NO SHARES OF ANY COMPANY NAMED IN THIS RELEASE.

This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. "Forward-looking statements" describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as "may", "future", "plan" or "planned", "will" or "should", "expected," "anticipates", "draft", "eventually" or "projected". You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, and other risks identified in a company's annual report on Form 10-K or 10-KSB and other filings made by such company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and NNW and FNM undertake no obligation to update such statements.

NetworkNewsWire (NNW) is affiliated with the Investor Brand Network (IBN).

About IBN

Over the past 10+ years we have consistently introduced new network brands, each specifically designed to fulfil the unique needs of our growing client base and services. Today, we continue to expand our branded network of highly influential properties, leveraging the knowledge and energy of specialized teams of experts to serve our increasingly diversified list of clients.

Please feel free to visit the Investor Brand Network (IBN) www.InvestorBrandNetwork.com

Corporate Communications Contact:

NetworkNewsWire (NNW)
New York, New York
www.NetworkNewsWire.com
212-418-1217 Office
[email protected]

Media Contact:
FN Media Group, LLC
[email protected]
+1-(954)345-0611

SOURCE NetworkNewsWire