KNOXVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Provectus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTCQB: PVCT, http://www.pvct.com), a development-stage oncology and dermatology biopharmaceutical company, announces that an article based on research conducted at the Moffitt Cancer Center with intralesional PV-10 has been published in PLOS ONE, an international, peer-reviewed, open-access, online publication. The article, entitled, “Intralesional Injection of Rose Bengal Induces a Systemic Tumor-Specific Immune Response in Murine Models of Melanoma and Breast Cancer,” was authored by Paul Toomey, M.D., Krithika Kodumudi, Ph.D., Amy Weber, Lisa Kuhn, Ellen Moore, Arnod A. Sarnaik, M.D. and Shari Pilon-Thomas, Ph.D., all researchers with Moffitt’s Immunology Program. The featured work resulted in part from a Provectus-sponsored research program led by Pilon-Thomas.
Provectus’s PV-10, a 10% solution of Rose Bengal, is currently being examined as a novel cancer therapeutic. It is designed to selectively target and destroy cancer cells without harming surrounding healthy tissue, significantly reducing potential for systemic side effects. In melanoma patients, intralesional (IL) injection of PV-10 has led to regression of injected lesions as well as uninjected distant metastases (i.e., bystander lesions).
The PLOS ONE article, based on results of a Moffitt study initially presented in April 2013 at the annual meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research, examines the immunologic mechanism of PV-10 treatment in murine models of breast cancer and melanoma, to determine how IL PV-10 therapy induces the systemic anti-tumor immune response apparent in bystander responses in clinical trial participants.
The researchers conclude that intralesional PV-10, in addition to reducing the growth of directly injected tumors, leads to the induction of a robust anti-tumor T cell response and supports the use of PV-10 to induce systemic anti-tumor immunity in the treatment of metastatic melanoma and breast cancer. In addition to demonstrating that intralesional PV-10 therapy induces tumor-specific T cell-mediated immunity in multiple histologic subtypes, the article’s authors note that their research supports the concept of combining IL PV-10 with immunotherapy for advanced malignancies.
The full manuscript of the article can be accessed by clicking on the following link:
http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0068561
Dr. Craig Dees, PhD, CEO of Provectus Pharmaceuticals, commented, “We are delighted to see that this valuable research conducted at the Moffitt Cancer Center, designed to elucidate the immunologic mechanism of action of intralesional Rose Bengal, has been published by an internationally recognized peer-reviewed journal. As the on-going companion clinical study continues, we are learning more about PV-10’s unique mechanisms of action and its potential to induce a systemic immune response both as a monotherapy and potentially as a synergistic adjunct to other cancer therapeutics.”
About Moffitt Cancer Center
Located in Tampa, Moffitt Cancer Center is one of only 41 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, a distinction that recognizes Moffitt's excellence in research, its contributions to clinical trials, prevention and cancer control. Since 1999, Moffitt has been listed in U.S. News & World Report as one of "America’s Best Hospitals" for cancer. With more than 4,200 employees, Moffitt has an economic impact on the state of nearly $2 billion. For more information, visit MOFFITT.org, and follow the Moffitt momentum on Facebook, twitter and YouTube.
About PLOS
PLOS ONE is published by PLOS (Public Library of Science), a nonprofit organization. PLOS is a non-profit organization of scientists and physicians committed to making the world's scientific and medical literature a freely available public resource. For more information about PLOS, visit www.plos.org.
About Provectus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Provectus Pharmaceuticals specializes in developing oncology and dermatology therapies. Its novel oncology drug PV-10 is designed to selectively target and destroy cancer cells without harming surrounding healthy tissue, significantly reducing potential for systemic side effects. Its oncology focus is on melanoma, breast cancer and cancers of the liver. The Company has received orphan drug designations from the FDA for its melanoma and hepatocellular carcinoma indications. Its dermatological drug PH-10 also targets abnormal or diseased cells, with the current focus on psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. Provectus has recently completed Phase 2 trials of PV-10 as a therapy for metastatic melanoma, and of PH-10 as a topical treatment for atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. Information about these and the Company's other clinical trials can be found at the NIH registry, www.clinicaltrials.gov. For additional information about Provectus please visit the Company's website at www.pvct.com or contact Porter, LeVay & Rose, Inc.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: The forward-looking statements contained herein are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect management's analysis only as of the date hereof. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date thereof.
