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              Home / Newsroom / 2018 / June / Boca Raton Regional Hospital One of Four Sites Nationally in "Breakthrough Therapy" Clinical Trial

              Boca Raton Regional Hospital One of Four Sites Nationally in "Breakthrough Therapy" Clinical Trial

              June 27, 2018

              Marcus Neuroscience Institute joins Duke University, Massachusetts General Hospital and the University of California, San Francisco in study to test investigational drug utilizing polio virus for brain cancer

              BOCA RATON, FL – June 27, 2018 ­– Researchers at Boca Raton Regional Hospital’s Marcus Neuroscience Institute (MNI) are one of only four current sites nationally to be investigating the effectiveness of using engineered polio virus in the treatment of patients with an aggressive brain tumor – glioblastoma (GBM) multiforme – that has been refractory to conventional chemotherapy and/or radiation.

              According to Frank Vrionis, MD, Ph.D., Director of MNI and Principal Investigator for the trial at the Institute, the FDA has designated the trial as “breakthrough therapy” which is meant to expedite the development of medications that have shown preliminary evidence indicating the drug may demonstrate substantial improvement over currently available therapies in early clinical studies.

              The modified polio virus (called PVSRIPO) doesn’t cause polio, but infects different cell types present in brain tumors, including malignant cells and immune cells that infiltrate the tumor. “When induced at the tumor site, it directly kills tumor but not immune cells and elicits inflammatory events that engage the immune system,” said Dr. Sajeel Chowdhary, Director of Neuro-Oncology at MNI and Sub-Investigator for the study.

              Therapy for patients with brain tumors has always been impeded by what is known as the blood-brain barrier, which blocks chemotherapy agents from reaching tumor sites. The breech of that barrier through neurosurgical technique has now changed everything. “Through the use of micro catheters under MRI guidance and using a technique called convection enhanced delivery, we can now bypass the blood-brain barrier and deliver the therapeutic agent, such as PVSRIPO, to the tumor site” said Dr. Vrionis, the MNI’s principal investigator on the study.

              The procedure itself is minimally invasive and usually requires a one to two day hospitalization.

              Findings of the use of PVSRIPO in the treatment of patients with recurrent GBMs have been very encouraging. On June 26, 2018, The New England Journal of Medicine published clinical trial results conducted by The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke – Duke authors treated 61 patients with recurrent malignant gliomas with recombinant poliovirus infusion and noticed a 21 percent chance of three year survival versus 4 percent in historical controls.

              “The use of immunotherapy in the treatment of cancer patients is the new frontier in oncology,” noted Dr. Vrionis “We’re most proud that MNI has joined such a prestigious group in advancing the boundaries of that frontier.”

              Cancer patients interested in participating in the clinical trials are encouraged to contact:

              Boca Raton Regional Hospital Clinical Research Center

              • Phone: 561.955.4800

              Marcus Neuroscience Institute Research Office

              • Phone: 561.955.5784

              Pilar Zuniga, Main Study Coordinator

              • Phone: 561.955.3723
              • Email: pzuniga@brrh.com

              Frank Vrionis, MD, Principal Investigator

              • Email: fvrionis@brrh.com

              About Boca Raton Regional Hospital – Advancing the boundaries of medicine.
              Boca Raton Regional Hospital is an advanced, tertiary medical center (BRRH.com) with 400 beds and more than 800 primary and specialty physicians on staff. The Hospital is a recognized leader in oncology, cardiovascular disease and surgery, minimally invasive surgery, orthopedics, women’s health, emergency medicine and the neurosciences, all of which offer state-of-the-art diagnostic and imaging capabilities. The Hospital is a designated Comprehensive Stroke Center by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA).

              Media Contacts:
              Thomas Chakurda, 561.955.3586
              Vice President, Marketing and Communications
              tchakurda@brrh.com

              Michael Maucker, 561.955.4706
              Marketing Manager
              mmaucker@brrh.com

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