MUNICH, GERMANY -- June 6, 2017 -– Brainlab and Medicenna Therapeutics Corp (the “Company” or “Medicenna”; TSXV “MDNA”) jointly announced today that recurrent Glioblastoma (rGB) patients in a Phase 2b clinical trial of MDNA55, a targeted immunotherapy agent, have been treated at three clinical centers in the United States using innovative drug delivery technology from Brainlab. The investigators used convection enhanced delivery (CED) to inject MDNA55, together with an imaging agent, directly into the tumor. When combined with real-time image guided MRI, CED allows delivery of MDNA55 at high concentrations into the tumor tissue while avoiding exposure to the rest of the body. The current Phase 2b clinical trial plans to enroll 43 adult patients with rGB at leading brain cancer centers in the United States.
Precise targeting is an integral part in the treatment of brain tumors to achieve significant coverage. iPlan® Flow planning software from Brainlab helps determine trajectories for drug infusions while VarioGuide®, a universal instrument holder, is then used to guide the drug delivery device into place for treatment.
“Brainlab brings advanced tools for planned and controlled delivery to this trial. Standardization of the surgical workflow is a critical component of consistent patient treatment and for obtaining optimal clinical trial data,” commented Rowena Thomson, Drug Delivery Manager at Brainlab. “With Medicenna, we have found one of the most experienced teams for targeted drug delivery as a key partner in the development of therapies for brain tumors. Using iPlan Flow and VarioGuide, neurosurgeons will be able to plan treatments and catheter placement for delivery and distribution of MDNA55.”
Designed specifically for planning drug delivery procedures, iPlan Flow software determines trajectories and infusion parameters based on patient-specific image data. The combination of this technology with clinical trial support services allows Brainlab to offer a comprehensive drug delivery solution to pharmaceutical companies.
“We are very pleased to include Brainlab drug delivery technologies in our clinical trial and see this as an important step in the commercial development of MDNA55 for the treatment of brain cancer,” said Ms. Rosemina Merchant, Chief Development Officer of Medicenna. “Treatment with MDNA55, a drug that simultaneously targets interleukin-4 receptors (IL4R) expressed by brain cancer cells and the immunosuppressive cells of the tumor micro-environment (TME), may further improve selectivity in patients suffering from this terrible disease,” added Dr Martin Bexon, Head of Clinical Development at Medicenna.
