“A first-of-its-kind inhalable gene therapy for lung cancer that genetically modifies people’s lung cells has been fast-tracked towards potential approval after promising clinical trial results…

The new therapy contains a herpes virus that has been modified to make it harmless and unable to spread to other people. The virus is tasked with dragging two genes, one encoding the protein interleukin-2 and the other encoding interleukin-12, into lung cells. These are naturally produced in the body and help to suppress tumour growth.

However, tumours often fight back and deplete them, so the gene therapy is designed to restore their production.

Since 2024, Ma and his colleagues have been testing the gene therapy in people with advanced lung cancer who have exhausted all other treatment options. To administer it, a liquid containing the gene therapy is nebulised, meaning it is converted into a fine mist that people directly inhale into their lungs from a device.

At the oncology meeting, Ma announced that the gene therapy had reduced the size of lung tumours in three out of 11 people, and stopped them from growing any bigger in another five people. Some patients experienced side effects like chills or vomiting, but no severe safety concerns were identified.”

From New Scientist.