Cancer-fighting implant shows promise in treating melanoma, pancreatic and colorectal tumors. Rice-led study serves as foundation for FDA investigational new drug application and emerging new company to launch from RBL LLC. Veiseh’s team at Rice University has created an implant that functions like a “cytokine factory,” delivering IL-12 — a powerful immune-stimulating molecule — directly into the tumor environment. This approach boosts the body’s ability to fight cancer while avoiding the severe side effects usually associated with systemic IL-12 therapy.
EP 1,242B - Cancer-fighting implant shows promise in treating melanoma, pancreatic and coloretal tumors
Featuring:
Omid Veisch, Professor of Bioengineering, Faculty Director of the Rice Biotech Launch Pad
Omid Veisch is a bioengineering and chemical and biomolecular engineering professor at Rice University and a Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas Scholar. He also serves as director of the Rice Biotech Launch Pad, a new initiative with a mission to accelerate the translation of Rice discoveries and technologies into clinical practice to provide rapid patient access to leading-edge therapeutic products, and as managing partner for RBL LLC, an associated Houston-based company incubator. He leads an interdisciplinary translational research program to engineer and commercialize next-generation cell-based therapeutics for various human diseases. His team leverages the latest techniques in synthetic biology, immunoengineering and material science to develop innovative cell-based platforms for real- time and feedback-regulated production of biologics. Veiseh has demonstrated leadership in biotechnology, having spearheaded a $45 million project funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to create an implantable cancer monitoring and treatment device. He is also a key collaborator on a $35 million ARPA-H-funded project to develop implantable devices for Type 2 diabetes and obesity treatment. Throughout his career, he has authored or co-authored more than 80 peer-reviewed publications. Veiseh is an inventor on more than 50 pending or awarded patents and a serial entrepreneur who has co-founded multiple biotechnology companies, collectively attracting ~$500M in private and public investment capital.