Brendan Curti, MD

About Brendan Curti, MD

Augmenting OX40 Immunotherapy in Men with Advanced Prostate Cancer
Dr. Curti and his team are pioneers in the preclinical and clinical development of a new immunotherapy that activates the anti-tumor effects of patients’ own T cells (a type of white blood immune cell). This new target, OX40, is a cell surface molecule on T cells that when properly activated can induce T cells to kill cancer cells. A Phase I Clinical Trial showed that prostate cancer patients treated with a monoclonal antibody directed against OX-40 (anti-OX40) had the greatest increase in the frequency of anti-tumor T cells relative to other solid tumor patients. Additionally, pre-clinical studies in mouse models revealed that anti-OX40 in combination with chemotherapy and radiation had the greatest anti-cancer effect. This project will extend these findings into the clinic by initiating a clinical investigation to evaluate anti-OX40 in combination with chemotherapy and radiation therapy in patients with metastatic prostate cancer. During the study, the investigators will be monitoring the frequency of T cells in patients undergoing treatment to identify whether T cell quantification can predict clinical response to this treatment strategy. Anti-OX40 is first-in-man, first in prostate cancer. This work promises to enhance effectiveness of immunotherapy.