On Monday, June 8, 2020, OX2 Therapeutics, Inc. (https://ox2therapeutics.com/), a privately held Minneapolis company, announced that it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to launch a phase I clinical trial with its new combination therapy for treatment of recurrent high-grade brain tumors for which no curative therapy is available. OX2 Therapeutics has developed the first-of-its-kind peptide platform that targets the activation receptor of the CD200 immune checkpoint. The peptide activates the immune system through a mechanism that modulates the suppressive effects of the CD200, PD-1/PD-L1, and CTLA4 immune checkpoints to allow a more robust anti-tumor response (see graphic image of mechanism below). “This single peptide has the potential to replace the toxic antibody therapies that are currently used to block these immune checkpoints,” said two of the company co-founders, Chief Medical Officer Christopher Moertel (photo at end), MD, Professor, and Chief Scientific Officer Michael Olin (photo here), PhD, Associate Professor, both from the Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, in the University of Minnesota School of Medicine. Dr. Moertel is the Kenneth and Betty Jayne Dahlberg Professor in the Pediatrics Department’s Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology of the University of Minnesota Medical School, within the University’s Masonic Cancer Center; Medical Director of the Pediatric Neuro-Oncology and Neurofibromatosis Programs; and Clinical Neuro-Oncology Leader of the Medical School’s Brain Tumor Program. Dr. Moertel has over 25 years of experience as a neuro-oncologist, directing numerous clinical trials, has served on numerous national and local professional committees, and is the author of a number of book chapters, articles and abstracts.Login Or Register To Read Full Story