Intravenous delivery of IL-2 protein is approved as a treatment for metastatic melanoma, but frequently causes severe side effects. The novel treatment approach being studied in this trial involves direct injection of IL-2 into a tumor lesion of plasmid DNA, followed by electroporation, the local application of electrical pulses designed to enhance the uptake of the protein into tumor cells.
It is hoped that this method of delivery will prove effective in attacking the tumor, but will not produce the severe side effects normally associated with IL-2.
Inovio’s president and CEO, Dr Avtar Dhillon, said, “We are pleased that Vical’s preclinical work has justified advancing this program into humans. Vical is the first of our corporate partners to initiate a clinical study using our electroporation technology to enhance delivery of a gene with potential therapeutic benefits in humans.”