Henry Ford Health Doses First Patient in Combination Immunotherapy Trial for Newly Diagnosed Patients with Glioblastoma

DETROIT (July 12, 2023) – Physicians in the Hermelin Brain Tumor Center at Henry Ford Health recently administered the first dose of IGV-001, a combination immunotherapy developed by Imvax, as part of a Phase 2b clinical trial studying this medication for the treatment of glioblastoma (GBM), a deadly form of brain cancer. 

A multi-center, randomized trial that aims to enroll 93 patients with newly diagnosed GBM brain tumors, this study is evaluating the safety and efficacy of IGV-001, a novel immunotherapy designed to stimulate the body's immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells, in combination with standard of care treatment for GBM. 

"We are proud to be the first health system in the world to have administered IGV-001 as part of this important study," said Ian Lee, M.D., Neurosurgeon and Principal Investigator of the Henry Ford Health site for this study. "Glioblastoma is a devastating disease that has continued to elude effective treatment for many years. We believe IGV-001 has the potential to improve outcomes for patients battling this aggressive form of brain cancer."

The most common and aggressive type of primary brain cancer, GBM has a five-year survival rate of only 6.8%, according to the National Brain Tumor Society. Survival rates and mortality statistics for GBM have been virtually unchanged for decades.

"This is a significant milestone for the study and follows promising safety outcomes data from Imvax’s Phase 1 clinical trials,” said John A. Boockvar, M.D., lead investigator of this Phase 2b trial and Vice Chair of Department of Neurosurgery at Lenox Hill Hospital. “We look forward to working with Henry Ford Health, as well as the other study sites, to further evaluate the safety and efficacy of this combination immunotherapy that we believe could make a meaningful difference in the lives of many affected by this disease.”

Hermelin Brain Tumor Center at Henry Ford Health is a national leader in the diagnosis and treatment of brain tumors and has been recognized since 1993 by the National Cancer Institute for delivering leading brain tumor therapies. The center offers individualized treatment plans and world-class, coordinated care teams utilizing the latest tests available for accurate brain tumor diagnosis and treatment guidance.

For more information about the Phase 2b trial of IGV-001, visit clinicaltrials.gov. 
 
MEDIA CONTACT: mediarelations@hfhs.org

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About Henry Ford Health
Serving communities across Michigan and beyond, Henry Ford Health is committed to partnering with patients and members along their entire health journey. Henry Ford Health provides a full continuum of services – from primary and preventative care, to complex and specialty care, health insurance, a full suite of home health offerings, virtual care, pharmacy, eye care and other healthcare retail.

It is one of the nation’s leading academic medical centers, recognized for clinical excellence in cancer care, cardiology and cardiovascular surgery, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics and sports medicine, and multi-organ transplants. Consistently ranked among the top five NIH-funded institutions in Michigan, Henry Ford Health engages in more than 2,000 research projects annually. Equally committed to educating the next generation of health professionals, Henry Ford Health trains more than 4,000 medical students, residents and fellows every year across 50+ accredited programs.

With more than 33,000 valued team members, Henry Ford Health is also among Michigan’s largest and most diverse employers, including nearly 6,000 physicians and researchers from the Henry Ford Medical Group, Henry Ford Physician Network and Jackson Health Network.

The health system is led by President and CEO Robert G. Riney and serves a growing number of customers across 250+ locations throughout Michigan including five acute care hospitals, two destination facilities for complex cancer and orthopedics and sports medicine care, three behavioral health facilities, primary care and urgent care centers.

About IGV-001
IGV-001 is an autologous biologic-device combination product derived from Imvax’s proprietary Goldspire™ immuno-oncology platform for solid tumors, which involves a unique approach to inducing a broad and durable immune response against tumors. Phase 1 studies showed that IGV-001 was safe and well tolerated, and a Phase 1b newly diagnosed glioblastoma study also yielded several efficacy signals, including significant improvements in progression-free survival, overall survival, radiographic evidence of tumor response, and multiple biomarker changes that supported the presence of an immune response (Andrews DW, et al., Clin Cancer Res. 2021;27(7):1912-1922). In 10 Stupp-eligible newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients in the highest dose cohort treated with IGV-001, median progression-free survival was 17.1 months, compared with 6.5 months in historical standard-of-care (SOC) treatment, and median overall survival was 38.2 months, compared with 16.2 months in historical SOC. 

About Imvax, Inc.
Imvax is a clinical-stage biotechnology company with a unique platform technology, Goldspire™, focused on delivering personalized, whole tumor-derived immunotherapies across a range of solid tumors. Imvax’s most advanced program, IGV-001, is currently being evaluated in a Phase 2b clinical trial in newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients.  Imvax’s portfolio includes also several other programs designed to stimulate a patient’s immune system against the entire antigen signature of their tumor. Imvax is headquartered in Philadelphia, PA. For additional information, please visit imvax.com.