An oncolytic virus is a virus that preferentially infects and kills cancer cells. As the infected cancer cells are destroyed by oncolysis, they release new infectious virus particles or virions to help destroy the remaining tumour. Oncolytic viruses are thought not only to cause direct destruction of the tumour cells, but also to stimulate host anti-tumour immune system responses. Oncolytic viruses also have the ability to affect the tumor micro-environment in multiple ways.
Large cell is a term used in oncology. It does not refer to a particular type of cell; rather it refers to cells that are larger than would be normally expected for that type. It is frequently used when describing lymphoma and lung cancer.
Dove Medical Press is an academic publisher of open access peer-reviewed scientific and medical journals, with offices in Macclesfield, London, Princeton, New Jersey, and Auckland. In September 2017, Dove Medical Press was acquired by the Taylor and Francis Group.
KRAS is a gene that provides instructions for making a protein called K-Ras, a part of the RAS/MAPK pathway. The protein relays signals from outside the cell to the cell's nucleus. These signals instruct the cell to grow and divide (proliferate) or to mature and take on specialized functions (differentiate). It is called KRAS because it was first identified as a viral oncogene in the KirstenRAt Sarcoma virus. The oncogene identified was derived from a cellular genome, so KRAS, when found in a cellular genome, is called a proto-oncogene.
John Cameron Bell is a senior cancer researcher at the OHRI. He currently resides in Ottawa, Ontario with his wife Sheila.
Farletuzumab (MORAb-003) is a humanized monoclonal antibody of IgG1/κ which is being investigated for the treatment of ovarian cancer.
Avax Technologies, Inc. is a Philadelphia-based biotechnology company whose most advanced product candidate is MVax for melanoma. MVax is a cancer vaccine that received a Special Protocol Assessment agreement with the FDA in October 2006, and subsequently began a Phase III registration clinical trial in November 2007. In previous studies, MVax demonstrated a 5-year overall survival rate (OS)of 44% and response rate of 35%.
Merck & Co., Inc. is an American multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey, and is named for Merck Group, founded in Germany in 1668, of which it was once the American arm. The company does business as Merck Sharp & Dohme or MSD outside the United States and Canada. It is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, generally ranking in the global top five by revenue.
Demcizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody which is used to treat patients with pancreatic cancer or non-small cell lung cancer. Demcizumab has completed phase 1 trials and is currently undergoing phase 2 trials. Demcizumab was developed by OncoMed Pharmaceuticals in collaboration with Celgene.
Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity: Targets and Therapy is a peer-reviewed medical journal covering research on diabetes, metabolic syndromes, and obesity. The journal was established in 2008 and is published by Dove Medical Press.
Biologics: Targets and Therapy is a peer-reviewed medical journal covering research on the clinical application of biologic agents in the management of pathologies where a molecular target can be identified. The journal was established in 2007 and is published by Dove Medical Press.
Vantictumab is a human IgG2 monoclonal antibody designed for the treatment of cancer.
Onconephrology is a specialty in nephrology that deals with the study of kidney diseases in cancer patients. A nephrologist who takes care of patients with cancer and kidney disease is called an onconephrologist. This branch of nephrology encompasses nephrotoxicity associated with existing and novel chemotherapeutics, kidney disease as it pertains to stem cell transplant, paraneoplastic kidney disorders, paraproteinemias, electrolyte disorders associated with cancer, and more as discussed below.
OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was a public American pharmaceutical development company headquartered in Redwood City, California. The company was founded in August 2004 by two University of Michigan investigators, Michael Clarke and Max S. Wicha. As of 2013, the company had 83 employees. OncoMed's drug discovery work focuses on developing "targeted antibodies against cancer stem cells". The cancer stem cell technologies on which OncoMed depends are licensed from the University of Michigan where they were developed by the founders of the company. OncoMed went public in 2013 and was listed on NASDAQ under the stock symbol OMED. In April 2019 the company was acquired by Mereo BioPharma and delisted from the Nasdaq.
ONCOS-102 (Ad5/3-D24-GMCSF), is an oncolytic adenovirus previously described as CGTG-102. It is currently in orphan drug status for soft tissue sarcomas.
Lorenzo Galluzzi is an Italian and French cell biologist best known for his experimental and conceptual contributions to the fields of cell death, autophagy, tumor metabolism and tumor immunology.
Rosmantuzumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody designed for the treatment of cancer.
Christine M. Lovly is an associate professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University. Her research involves the development of novel treatment strategies for ALK positive lung cancer.
