SAINT LOUIS, MISSOURI, USA, October 25, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Immunophotonics, Inc. announced today that Wei Chen, Ph.D., co-founder and director of Immunophotonics, Inc. and Professor and Stephenson Chair of Biomedical Engineering, in the Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Oklahoma, has been awarded a $2.5 million research grant by the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Cancer Institute (NCI) for pancreatic cancer research. The NIH is the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world. This has led to breakthroughs and new treatments, as well as building the research foundation to drive discovery and help people live longer and healthier lives. NCI has a rigorous grant-application and peer-review process, which supports the best scientists and research projects in the field of oncology.

Dr. Chen’s research project is titled “Potentiating a systemic antitumor response by interstitial localized ablative immunotherapy to synergize with immune checkpoint therapy for metastatic pancreatic tumors.” The goal is to determine the therapeutic effect of a novel ablation-based immunotherapy for metastatic pancreatic cancers using a combination of interstitial laser irradiation and local administration of a novel immunostimulant to be supplied by Immunophotonics (IP-001). This research will be conducted over a five-year period, with Dr. Wei Chen, Ph.D. serving as the Principal Investigator.

Dr. Chen’s research at the University of Oklahoma focuses on ablation-based immunotherapy for metastatic cancers. He has published more than 180 peer-reviewed articles and has been awarded 10 U.S. patents. Dr. Chen remarked how honored and ecstatic he was to receive this grant award to further his research in this area, stating:

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of deadliest diseases, and in most cases, particularly at the late stages when PC is unresectable, is non-permeable to drugs, immunologically suppressive, and highly metastatic. The goal of this project is to demonstrate the therapeutic efficacy of interstitial localized ablative immunotherapy and immune checkpoint therapy (iLAIT-ICT), paving the way for its clinical applications for late-stage, metastatic pancreatic cancer patients. The understanding of the impact of iLAIT-ICT on tumor cells and immune cells can be used to design new therapeutic approaches for a variety of metastatic cancers in the future.

About Immunophotonics
Immunophotonics, Inc. is a privately owned clinical-stage biotech company pioneering the field of Interventional Immuno-Oncology™. IP-001, the first asset from the company’s intellectual property platform, has the potential to overcome the local defenses of the tumor microenvironment to enable a tumor-specific anticancer immune response in multiple solid tumor indications. The company is in phase 2 development and is based in St. Louis, Missouri, USA with subsidiaries in Bern, Switzerland and Tianjin, China.

Disclaimer:
Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01269897. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. Such statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, and numerous factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those made or implied herein. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and Immunophotonics, Inc. undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

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