Gregory Friedman, MD

Enhancement of Immunovirotherapy with Directed Drug Delivery for Treatment of Pediatric High-Grade Glioma

Dr. Gregory Friedman’s research aims to improve outcomes for survival rate and quality of life for patients facing pHGG.  The Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation is grateful for this innovation paving the way for progress.

Pediatric high-grade glioma (pHGG) is the leading cause of brain tumor-related death in children. Inventive approaches are desperately needed to improve outcomes. Immunotherapy with genetically altered cold sore virus (HSV) “G207” offers an innovative, targeted, less-toxic approach for pHGG. G207 is unable to harm normal cells but can infect and kill tumor cells while also stimulating the patient’s own immune system to attack the tumor. In our recently completed Phase 1 pHGG trial of G207, the therapy was safe with evidence of dramatic responses and prolonged survival. While the results are very promising, we learned that to achieve even more long-term responses, we must develop combination therapies with G207 in order to maintain the immune attack on the tumor. Our goal is to significantly enhance G207 therapy by combining it with Avidea Technologies’ novel “Syntholytic” drugs, which kill tumor cells and increase the immune attack on the tumor. We believe the combination will produce long-lasting responses in pHGG. At the completion of the experiments, we will have identified a lead combination therapy to advance clinically, and we will have generated vital information on how to maximize the immune system attack on the tumor. This project will fulfill the goals of PCRF by accelerating the bench-to-bedside translation of leading edge research of an innovative immunotherapy designed to improve outcomes and quality of life for children with pHGG.