Scientists at Roswell Park developed an immunotherapy treatment for brain cancer which is now being offered through clinical trial across the country. This therapeutic vaccine called SurVaxM is giving hope to newly diagnosed patients with glioblastoma in 10 top cancer centers nationally.
SurVaxM was developed by Robert Fenstermaker, MD, Chair of Neurosurgery, and Michael Ciesielski, PhD, Director of the Neuro-Oncology Lab. The unique treatment vaccine, now being developed by MimiVax, targets survivin, a protein that helps cancer cells stay alive.
This opportunity is giving hope to patients like John Wishman, who was recently featured on NBC Nightly News story and other subsequent news stories. With the help of SurVaxM keeping his glioblastoma at bay, John has been able to live a relatively normal life. He’s still working full-time, helping his daughters with home improvement projects and enjoying life.
Your Giving Makes a Difference
Roswell Park donors have been supporting this life-changing research since 2014, driving both phase 1 and phase 2 of the trial. You have played a key role in accelerating this process and bringing hope to patients facing an aggressive disease through the clinical trial and ultimately to patients everywhere.
Editor’s Note: Cancer patient outcomes and experiences may vary, even for those with the same type of cancer. An individual patient’s story should not be used as a prediction of how another patient will respond to treatment. Roswell Park is transparent about the survival rates of our patients as compared to national standards, and provides this information, when available, within the cancer type sections of this website.
