NorthWest Biotherapeutics Inc (NWBO)

[DocLee]

Thanks, Lykiri, fascinating tidbits and hints in what they are saying [click here for the story] :

“I became the first brain cancer patient in the world to have had combination neoadjuvant immunotherapy, so [sic] before surgery to remove my brain tumour.”
“..., I had another world first treatment for my brain cancer….a personalised cancer vaccine with combination immunotherapy, instead of standard treatment. My vaccine is designed to further boost my immune reaction against my brain cancer, to target tumour cells we can’t see and prevent recurrence.”
Professor Georgina Long .... went on to explain that ... they analysed the whole genome of Richard’s tumour, and of him. This enabled identification of what is unique to Richard’s tumour that has high potential for the immune system to recognise as an enemy.
.... Professors Scolyer and Long revealed early scientific breakthroughs coming from the world-first combination neoadjuvant (pre-surgery) immunotherapy Richard received. Richard’s tumour, after resection, showed a 10-fold increase in immune cells, and these immune cells were activated against an enemy. They were also bound to drug, proving there is no blood brain barrier as historically conceptualised.
“We couldn’t have hoped for better results,” Professor Long said. “The neoadjuvant combination immunotherapy was doing what we had seen it do in melanoma, but this time it was doing it in Richard’s brain cancer.”

It would appear that if based on their successful protocol for the treatment of malignant melanoma, the combination neoadjuvant (presurgery) immunotherapy was "anti-PD-1-based immunotherapy ..... a combination of ipilimumab and nivolumab". This is very similar to what was used in the yet to be published study by Prins, Cloughesy & Liau in which pre-surgery treatment was with the anti-PD1 agent (Pembrolizumab, "Keytruda") (see blue line on the graph below) and was not as effective as when given post-surgery!