The end, the cataclysmic end, is near (or nigh to use the Biblical term).
Extinction—nay, extermination on par with the event (asteroid strike?) that ended the 150-million-year reign of the dinosaurs— is almost a foregone conclusion.
All signs point to an imminent Apocalypse of Biblical proportions.
Not for us (at least we hope not).
But for hard-to-treat tumors.
Call it the “Adpocalypse” brought to us courtesy of the oncolytic adenovirus, AdAPT-001.
Armed with a transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) trap, AdAPT-001 copies itself—and the TGF-β trap that it carries— exclusively in tumors at the speed of light. Or at least at the speed of lysis. And lysis, which refers to the death of tumor cells, and the release of new AdAPT-001 particles or virions along with tumor antigens and the TGF-β trap is nice-is.
Why is lysis nice-is?
Because the release of tumor antigens, new AdAPT-001 particles, and the TGF-β trap, which neutralizes the immunosuppressive cytokine, TGF-β, turns up the heat in tumors and kickstarts a deadly immune response against them.
This isn’t just theoretical either since potentially practice-changing Phase 2 clinical trial results demonstrate that AdAPT-001 sensitizes immune-resistant tumors like sarcomas and triple negative breast cancer to checkpoint inhibitor therapies, even ones that have already been tried and failed, and makes some of them recede or disappear completely.
So, prepare yourself for the Adpocalypse.
Hopefully this one will not come with a Resurrection.