After a deadly clinical trial, will immune therapies for cancer be a bust?
By Damian Garde,
STAT
| 07. 08. 2016
Immune therapies have been hailed as the future of cancer treatments, with new drugs racking up excellent clinical results by turning the body’s natural defenses on tumors.
But Thursday’s news that three patients died in a trial of one such treatment has surprised oncologists and biotech investors, casting doubts on what looked like a blockbuster new approach to fighting cancer.
Here’s a rundown on the fatal trial and what it means for the rest of the field.
Continue reading on STAT
Image via Flickr/NIH Image Gallery
Related Articles
By Grace Won, KQED [with CGS' Katie Hasson] | 12.02.2025
In the U.S., it’s illegal to edit genes in human embryos with the intention of creating a genetically engineered baby. But according to the Wall Street Journal, Bay Area startups are focused on just that. It wouldn’t be the first...
By Emma Cieslik, Ms. Magazine | 11.20.2025
Several recent Biopolitical Times posts (1, 2, 3, 4) have called attention to the alarmingly rapid commercialization of “designer baby” technologies: polygenic embryo screening (especially its use to purportedly screen for traits like intelligence), in vitro gametogenesis (lab-made eggs and sperm), and heritable genome editing (also termed embryo editing or reproductive gene editing). Those three, together with artificial wombs, have been dubbed the “Gattaca stack” by Brian Armstrong, CEO of the cryptocurrency company...
By Adam Feuerstein, Stat | 11.20.2025
The Food and Drug Administration was more than likely correct to reject Biohaven Pharmaceuticals’ treatment for spinocerebellar ataxia, a rare and debilitating neurodegenerative disease. At the very least, the decision announced Tuesday night was not a surprise to anyone paying attention. Approval...