Dr. Thierry Jahan on the CRS-207 Vaccine in Mesothelioma

Thierry M. Jahan, MD, clinical professor in the Department of Medicine of the University of California San Francisco Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses a phase Ib trial of CRS-207 in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM).
 CRS-207 is a live, attenuated Listeria monocytogenes dual deleted designed to express the antigen mesothelin tumor associated.  

In Phase Ib was administered with chemotherapy in 38 patients with MPM. Of the 34 evaluable patients, 59% (n = 20) had a partial response after treatment and 35% (n = 12) had stable disease for a disease control overall rate of 94%.
 There is a synergy between exposure to Listeria and immunity and it triggers the effectiveness of chemotherapy, said Jahan.  

The tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) that are needed to distribute the tumor overexpressed and expanded by vaccination, and with chemotherapy, may improve the response rate, he said.
 A global randomized trial is being implemented and should enroll its first patient later this year.