Dr. Reardon on the Potential Utility of INO-5401 and INO-9012 in Glioblastoma

David A. Reardon, MD, clinical director, Center for Neuro-Oncology, institute physician, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, discusses the role of INO-5401 and INO-9012 in glioblastoma.

INO-5401 and INO-9012 are currently being evaluated in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma, says Reardon. Encouraging preliminary results were presented during the 2020 ASCO Virtual Scientific Program.

Notably, INO-5401 consists of three antigens that are highly expressed in glioblastoma tumor cells, including human telomerase, Wilms tumor protein, and prostate​-specific membrane antigen​, says Reardon. The hypothesis is that INO-5401 will induce an immune response ​in patients with glioblastoma.

Moreover, INO-9012 is engineered to express interleukin​-12 (IL-12), a molecule that plays an important role in attracting and activating dendritic cells, ​Reardon explains. ​

Ultimately, when the antigens are administered through INO-5401, IL-12 will bring in additional immune effector cells that could sensitize the immune system against these specific targets, Reardon concludes.