Celsion Reports Data Safety Monitoring Board Unanimous Recommendation to Continue Dosing Patients in the Phase II Portion of the OVATION 2 Study with GEN-1 in Advanced Ovarian Cancer
OVATION 2 Study is Over 75% Enrolled; Full Enrollment Expected by Mid-2022
Novel Gene-Mediated Immunotherapy is Safe and Demonstrates an Acceptable Risk/Benefit When Administered Over a Six-Month Period
The OVATION 2 Study combines GEN-1, the Company's IL-12 gene-mediated immunotherapy, with standard-of-care neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in patients newly diagnosed with Stage III/IV ovarian cancer. NACT is designed to shrink the cancer as much as possible for optimal surgical removal after three cycles of chemotherapy. Following NACT, patients undergo interval debulking surgery, followed by three additional cycles of chemotherapy to treat any residual tumor.
The OVATION 2 Study is designed with an 80% confidence interval for an observed Progression Free Survival (PFS) Hazard Ratio of 0.75, which would mean an approximate 33% improvement in risk for cancer progression when comparing the treatment arm (NACT + GEN-1) with the control arm (NACT only). GEN-1 is an immunotherapy that produces safe and durable local levels of IL-12, a pluripotent cytokine associated with the stimulation of innate and adaptive immune response against cancer. The GEN-1 nanoparticle comprises a DNA plasmid encoding IL-12 gene and a synthetic polymer facilitating plasmid delivery vector. Cell transfection is followed by persistent, local secretion of the IL-12 protein at therapeutic levels.
The Company also announced that more than 75% of the projected 110 patients have been enrolled in the OVATION 2 Study. Interim clinical data from the first 39 patients who have undergone interval debulking surgery showed that the GEN-1 treatment arm is showing a 27% improvement in R0 surgical resection rate over the control arm. A complete tumor resection (R0) is a microscopically margin-negative resection in which no gross or microscopic tumor remains in the tumor bed.
“Findings from our OVATION I and OVATION 2 studies show a consistent dose-dependent clinical response in both surgical outcome and tumor response, which is further supported by translational data of the tumor microenvironment,” noted Nicholas Borys, M.D., Celsion’s executive vice president and chief medical officer. “We are encouraged by the current rate of patient recruitment and expect to complete enrollment by mid-2022. The primary endpoint for the study is progression-free survival (PFS) which we expect to report approximately 12 months after patient enrollment is completed.”
In February 2021, the Company announced that GEN-1 received FDA Fast Track Designation in advanced ovarian cancer. Celsion plans to request FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation for GEN-1 based on the encouraging clinical data.
“We thank the DSMB members for their work and advice,” said Michael
About GEN-1 Immunotherapy
GEN-1, designed using
About Epithelial Ovarian Cancer
Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the fifth deadliest malignancy among women in
About Celsion Corporation
Celsion is a fully integrated, clinical stage biotechnology company focused on advancing a portfolio of innovative cancer treatments, including immunotherapies and DNA-based therapies; and a platform for the development of nucleic acid vaccines currently focused on SARS-CoV2. The company’s product pipeline includes GEN-1, a DNA-based immunotherapy for the localized treatment of ovarian cancer. Celsion also has two platform technologies for the development of novel nucleic acid-based immunotherapies and other anti-cancer DNA or RNA therapies. Both are novel synthetic, non-viral vectors with demonstrated capability in nucleic acid cellular transfection. For more information on Celsion, visit www.celsion.com.
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Celsion Investor Contact
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609-482-2455
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Source: Celsion Corporation