An Integrated Disease/Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic Model Suggests Improved Interleukin-21 Regimens Validated Prospectively for Mouse Solid Cancers
2011

Improving IL-21 Immunotherapy for Cancer

Sample size: 20 publication 10 minutes Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Elishmereni Moran, Kheifetz Yuri, Søndergaard Henrik, Overgaard Rune Viig, Agur Zvia

Primary Institution: Institute for Medical Biomathematics (IMBM), Bene-Ataroth, Israel

Hypothesis

Can mathematical modeling identify better IL-21 treatment regimens for solid cancers?

Conclusion

The study found that fractionating IL-21 doses and using lower doses can improve treatment efficacy in cancer therapy.

Supporting Evidence

  • Fractionating the standard daily regimen into a twice daily schedule yielded a significantly lower tumor mass.
  • A low-dose regimen exerted a response similar to that obtained under the higher dose treatment.
  • Model predictions were validated by experiments in mice with melanoma.

Takeaway

This study shows that giving smaller doses of a cancer-fighting medicine more often can work just as well as giving a larger dose less often.

Methodology

The study used a mathematical model to simulate IL-21 treatment regimens and validated predictions through experiments in mice.

Potential Biases

Potential bias in the model due to reliance on preclinical data.

Limitations

The model's predictions need further validation in human clinical trials.

Participant Demographics

Mice bearing melanoma and renal cell carcinoma tumors were used in the study.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.05

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002206

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