A groundbreaking new therapy for ovarian cancer is being trialled on a Brisbane woman, in an Australian-first, which aims to target and treat the deadly disease.
Developed over 24 years by Professor John Hooper of Mater Research's Cancer Biology Research Group, it uses an innovative agent, or antibody, that binds to CDCP1, a protein found in malignant cells of several common cancers, including ovarian and bladder cancer.
Up to 45 patients with ovarian and bladder cancer will participate in the trial, led by Mater Research and The University of Queensland, in collaboration with Herston Imaging Research Facility and the Nuclear Medicine Department at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital.
Prof Hooper said it could revolutionise ovarian cancer treatment worldwide.
"What we're doing is injecting the patient with a radioactive tracing agent which is designed to pinpoint the exact location of cancer cells, and we're looking at how it accumulates in their tumours," Prof Hooper said.
"Then, we're trying to identify patients who can go on to be treated with the same tracing agent, but with a different radioactive particle attached, that can treat the cancer.
"It's a seek-and-destroy cancer therapy, it's very exciting."
Professor Hooper engaged Australia's national science agency, CSIRO, to join a collaborative research team with The University of Queensland that together successfully modified the agent to carry a radioactive isotope, enabling it to both seek and destroy cancer cells.
The therapy has never been tested on people before, but that hasn't stopped ovarian cancer sufferer Ena Menerey, 69, from signing up to be the first to receive the treatment in April.
"I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer six years ago and I've had lots of different treatments, including chemotherapy and immunotherapy," she said.
"I was a bit scared at first, to be the first to receive this new treatment, but they've kept me informed every step of the way, and I hope this trial helps other sufferers be diagnosed and treated early."
Prof Hooper said the research promised to deliver a 'game-changing' therapy for ovarian and bladder cancer, as well as many other cancer types.
"We're confident that our first human trials will provide doctors with exceptionally accurate imaging of metastasising (spreading) cancer, which is usually difficult to determine with both ovarian and bladder cancer," he said.
"If successful, we believe this will become the gold standard treatment for a wide range of metastatic ovary, bladder, pancreas, breast and lung cancers."
For cancer detection, the agent is attached to a low-radiation chemical. Once the agent locks on to cancer cells, PET/CT scanning detects the radioactive substance in the body.
After the initial imaging trials have been completed, the team hope to add a more powerful radioactive 'payload' to the agent, such as lutetium-177, which is designed to seek and kill cancer cells with highly targeted radiotherapy.
Dr Catherine Shannon, medical oncologist at South Brisbane's Mater Cancer Care Centre, said the research could provide a major advancement in the treatment of many types of cancer.
"The ability to deliver very targeted radiation to tumour deposits opens up a whole new field of treatment options for patients," Dr Shannon said.
Director of Herston Imaging Research Facility Professor Roslyn Francis said that this research is an important step towards developing new imaging and therapy options for patients with advanced cancer.
"The aim is to develop new treatments for these patients which improve responses to therapy and have lower side-effects through delivering a targeted treatment," Prof Francis said.
"This highlights that Australia is at the cutting edge of innovation and discovery in the field of personalised medicine."
Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynaecological cancer, with a five-year survival rate of just 49 per cent.
Mater is the leading treatment and research centre for ovarian cancer in Queensland, treating almost half of all women who are diagnosed each year.
The research is being funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Medical Research Future Fund, Mater Foundation, CSIRO with support from Biotech Incubator CUREator for bladder cancer and UniQuest, The University of Queensland's commercialisation company.
Originally published by Mater Research.
