clinical trials

Welcome to the Clinical Trial Round Up!

It is an exciting time for science and cervical cancer! There have been limited treatments for cervical cancer for several years but now we are seeing more clinical trials opening especially for metastatic and recurrent cervical cancer patients. If you have information on a clinical trial that you would like us to include, please email us at [email protected].

innovaTV 301 – GOG 3057

The innovaTV 301 study is testing a study drug, tisotumab vedotin, for people with cervical cancer that has spread or has come back after treatment. During the study, participants will receive either the study drug or chemotherapy treatment for cervical cancer. This study drug works in a new way and is designed to target cervical cancer cells.

Visit their website here.

E7 TCR T Cells for Human Papillomavirus-Associated Cancers

Human papillomavirus (HPV) can cause cervical, throat, anal, and genital cancers. Cancers caused by HPV have a HPV protein called E7 inside of their cells. In this new therapy, researchers take a person’s blood, remove certain white blood cells, and insert genes that make them to target cancer cells that have the E7 protein. The genetically changed cells, called E7 TCR cells, are then given back to the person to fight the cancer.

Find out more here.

RTX-321

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This Phase 1 clinical trial of RTX-321 for the treatment of HPV 16-associated cancers is an open label, multicenter, multidose, first-in-human dose escalation and expansion study designed to evaluate whether RTX-321 is tolerated, how much RTX-321 needs to be given, how often it should be given and if RTX-321 has anti-tumor activity against the cancer.

The trial is also assessing the pharmacodynamic effects of RTX-321 as measured by changes in number of CD8+ T-cells relative to baseline.

Visit their website to learn more.

Phase I & II Clinical Trial Resource

Mary Crowley Cancer Research is a specialized clinical research center that offers access to new investigational therapies through the administration of Phase I and II clinical trials. 

  • Personalized approach to cancer research
  • Clinical trials are matched to molecular information found within each cancer patient
  • Qualified Physician Investigators add to the understanding of what drives cancer and create innovative research applications that attack these drivers
  • Patient-centric focus brings the newest clinical trial options to patients at a rapid pace

Visit their website to view current Phase I and II clinical trial opportunities.

Join us for an upcoming event over clinical trials!

Don’t miss out on learning more about clinical trials and the patient experience! Join us for a collaborative event with SQZ Biotechnologies! You’ll hear the latest on cervical cancer and clinical trials from the first-hand experiences of an SQZ researcher as well as a patient focused panel. 

Register today!

What Do Black History Month and World Cancer Day (Feb. 4) Have In Common?

Advancements in the understanding and treatment of cervical cancer are inextricably intertwined with Black History Month. Why? Because the “HeLa cells” used in the scientific research that generated the HPV vaccines were from the cells of Henrietta Lacks, a Black woman who lost her life to cervical cancer in 1951, at age 31.

Physicians at Johns Hopkins University, where Lacks was treated, cultured cells from her tumors for medical research (notably, without her or her family’s knowledge or consent). Her cells survived, thrived, and multiplied outside her body, so much so that they have been in continual use in labs around the world. HeLa cells have helped change the course of modern medicine, contributing to medical breakthroughs including the development of the polio vaccine, and treatments for cancer, HIV/AIDS, leukemia, and Parkinson’s disease. HeLa cells were also of course instrumental to the development of the HPV vaccines.

Today in America, Blacks face the highest death rate and lowest survival rate of any racial or ethnic group for most cancers. This is certainly true for cervical cancer. Although in the U.S. cervical cancer occurs most often in Hispanic women, Black women tend to have lower 5-year survival rates and die from the disease more often than any other race.  In fact, they have twice the cervical cancer mortality rate compared to white women, according to the American Cancer Society. Henrietta Lacks, through her children and grandchildren, is continuing to have impact and address disparities. 

The Henrietta Lacks Enhancing Cancer Research Act

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Federal legislation focused on closing health gaps and improving access to clinical trials for people of color was signed into law in January 2021: the “Henrietta Lacks Enhancing Cancer Research Act” now mandates the government to reduce barriers to enrollment for underrepresented populations in federally-funded cancer clinical trials.

“While cancer impacts everyone, it does not affect everyone equally,” says Lisa Lacasse, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. “The Henrietta Lacks Enhancing Cancer Research Act is critical to changing this reality, improving cancer outcomes and reducing health disparities in this country.” The newly enacted law builds upon Henrietta Lacks’ legacy by ensuring equitable access to advancements in cancer treatment for all people.

Learn More About Henrietta Lacks on World Cancer Day (Feb. 4)

In recognition of Black History Month (February) and World Cancer Day (Feb. 4) is a special virtual event: Henrietta Lacks’ great-granddaughter Veronica Robinson will host a conversation with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network’s VP of Federal Advocacy & Strategic Alliances, Keysha Brooks-Coley to discuss the new legislation, its importance and its intended impact on addressing some of the cancer disparities in our country. The event will be held Thursday, Feb. 4 at 1:00 PM ET on Zoom and Facebook Live.  Learn more and register.