Professor Hwang Junil's Oncology Team Launches National Project Using NK Cell Therapy
Vaxcell Bio to Supply Therapy for Clinical Study
Directly Targeting Patients with Advanced Pancreatic Cancer
Professor Hwang Junil, Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital. Provided by Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital
Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital announced on May 13 that a research team led by Professor Hwang Junil of the Department of Oncology will officially begin an advanced regenerative medicine clinical study on 'advanced pancreatic cancer' using Vaxcell Bio's NK cell therapy (VCB-1102).
This clinical study is being conducted as a national project under an agreement with the Clinical Research Activation Support Group for Advanced Regenerative Medicine, which operates under the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Vaxcell Bio will supply the therapy. The study will be carried out by Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital with research funding. In the first-line treatment phase, the efficacy and safety of combining standard chemotherapy (mFOLFIRINOX) with the NK cell therapy (VCB-1102) will be evaluated.
The study, led by Professor Hwang Junil's team, will directly involve a total of 22 patients with advanced pancreatic cancer, focusing on confirming the clinical potential of personalized immunotherapy for high-risk cancers.
This is the second advanced regenerative medicine clinical study led by Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital. Previously, Professor Oh Injae's team in the Department of Pulmonology received approval and is conducting an advanced regenerative medicine clinical trial for small cell lung cancer. This demonstrates that Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital is establishing itself as a leading institution in precision immunotherapy research using NK cell therapies.
The NK cell therapy (VCB-1102) has already demonstrated its potential in a phase 2a clinical trial for hepatocellular carcinoma, achieving an objective response rate of 68.75%, a disease control rate of 100%, and a time to tumor progression (TTP) of 16.82 months. Launching a pancreatic cancer clinical trial based on this data is expected to serve as an important milestone in exploring the potential to expand the indications for immune cell therapies.
Professor Hwang Junil stated, "Pancreatic cancer is a fatal disease with a five-year survival rate of less than 10%, and most patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage when surgery is not possible. Given the clear limitations of standard chemotherapy alone, we expect that this NK cell-based combination therapy will become a turning point in treatment."
Lee Jejoong, CEO of Vaxcell Bio and professor of hematology at Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital, said, "Based on the therapeutic effects demonstrated in liver cancer clinical trials, we are expanding the combination strategy of NK cell therapy to various solid tumors. We will continue to accumulate and systematize clinical data and lead the commercialization of advanced regenerative medicine based on proven NK cell therapies."
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