Two Australian scientists, driven by limited funding but extraordinary dedication, are on the cusp of revolutionizing cancer treatment. Their work has already provided life-changing results for patients like Lois Harris and Anne Jonas, yet access to this promising therapy remains a challenge for many.
Lois Harris, a 73-year-old from Sydney, was diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer in 2012. At the time, doctors informed her that the disease, which forms in glands and nerve cells throughout the body, was incurable. By the time most patients are diagnosed, the cancer has often spread extensively, as it had in Lois’s case.
Traditional treatments such as chemotherapy were not viable options for Lois due to their ineffectiveness and potential to harm her kidneys. Instead, she managed her condition with regular injections. However, when her symptoms worsened last year, she turned to a new, experimental treatment developed by scientists she had worked with on an SBS documentary, “Cancer Killers.”
Promising Results from EnGeneIC Dream Vector
The treatment, known as EnGeneIC Dream Vector (EDV), was administered to Lois in Singapore. Over two seven-week cycles, she received the drug through a cannula, with each session lasting about three hours. The results were remarkable.
“The tumour in my liver that was acting up has decreased by about eight millimetres, and I’m in stable disease again,” Lois reported, noting the absence of side effects typically associated with conventional chemotherapy. “I just went home and carried on with life,” she added, describing her ability to maintain an active lifestyle.
Anne Jonas, another patient, received EDV for end-stage pancreatic cancer, which had left her with only weeks to live. Remarkably, two and a half years later, her blood tests show no trace of cancer. “I’m here having breakfast with you or coffee … I’m going to be a grandma,” she shared, highlighting her return to normal life.
The Science Behind EDV
EDV works by infiltrating cancer cells and destroying them from within, leaving healthy cells unharmed. This innovative approach spares patients from the debilitating side effects of chemotherapy, such as nausea and hair loss. Moreover, EDV is cost-effective to produce, potentially making it accessible worldwide.
The treatment is the brainchild of Dr. Himanshu Brahmbhatt and Dr. Jennifer MacDiarmid, former colleagues at CSIRO. Their journey began in a McDonald’s in western Sydney, where they brainstormed solutions to cancer’s complexities. “These poor fellows gave us coffee after coffee as we discussed all the problems we had to solve,” recalled Brahmbhatt.
Their breakthrough came when they realized that a solution lay in nature itself. By harnessing the natural formation of nano cells from bacteria, they developed a method to target and destroy cancer cells. After leaving CSIRO, they established a biotech firm, built a laboratory, and assembled a team to test their theories.
“One after the other, the theories we’d scribbled on paper turned out to be correct,” said Brahmbhatt.
Challenges and Future Prospects
Despite the promising results, EDV faces significant hurdles before it can become widely available. The journey from concept to market is long and costly, with many promising treatments failing to reach patients. According to Australian oncologist Dr. Georgina Long AO, “Fourteen out of every 15 drugs that get to [stage one trials] in humans are not developed further.”
In the United States, only a small percentage of cancer drugs that enter Phase 1 trials are ever approved for use. The complexity of cancer, with its varied genetic and environmental factors, demands highly specialized clinical trial designs, explains Dr. Jim Whittle, a medical oncologist at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.
“That’s why this process can take between 10 and 15 years,” he said.
Brahmbhatt acknowledges the financial challenges his company faces, having been on the brink of bankruptcy multiple times. “Medicine takes an incredibly long time,” he noted, emphasizing the importance of perseverance in the face of setbacks.
Hope for the Future
Despite the uncertainties, the potential of EDV offers hope to many. Dr. Whittle highlights the importance of continued support for discovery science, as many future breakthroughs may come from unexpected directions. While new drugs can target cancer cells with greater precision, chemotherapy remains an essential component of cancer care.
As for Lois, the stability of her disease represents a significant victory. “If I can have another 10, 12 years of good years, that’s a huge win,” she said, expressing gratitude for the chance to lead a normal life.
The journey of EDV underscores the challenges and triumphs inherent in the quest for a cancer cure. As Brahmbhatt and MacDiarmid continue their efforts to bring EDV to market, the stories of Lois and Anne serve as powerful reminders of the impact scientific innovation can have on individual lives.
