Toca 511 - Promising new gene therapy treatment for high grade brain tumors

There may be good new for patients with high grade brain tumors, like glioblastoma multiforme for example. Toca 511 is a new type of a gene therapy designed specifically to treat recurrent high grade brain tumors and it seems like the most exiting new treatment out there.

The difference between old gene therapies and the new Toca 511 and Toca FC therapy is that the virus in this new therapy can replicate and so it can destroy those cancer cells in human brain much more effectively. This virus is of course designed so that it won’t harm healthy brain cells which naturally is a must for this type of a tumor treatment to work.

There are currently two types of clinical trials available for this therapy;

1. For people with recurrent high grade glioma, including glioblastoma multiforme, anaplastic astrocytoma, high grade oligodendrogliomas and others. More information here..
2. Similiar to the first, but this is for patients who have chosen to have surgery to remove their tumor. More information about the trial..

Video of Michael Vogelbaum talking about Toca 511 gene therapy