Cellular Biomedicine Group (CBMG) has launched a clinical trial for Tumour Stem Cell Specific Dendritic Cell (TC-DC) therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common type of liver cancer. This clinical trial, which is already in progress, is the result of collaboration between CBMG, California Stem Cell (CSC) and Shanghai's PLA 85 Hospital. It is the first immune cell clinical trial of its kind in China.

CBMG's joint venture with CSC grants CBMG an exclusive license from CSC to develop and market CSC's cancer (TC-DC) technology in Greater China. CBMG receives support from CSC's California-based team of scientists and medical professionals, including CSC's Dr Hans Keirstead.

PLA 85 Hospital is a large general teaching hospital with 12 departments, located in Shanghai and has been granted Class A Hospital status at the Tertiary Level (the highest class). The hospital has over 600 beds with more than 200 professors and associate professors, including many well-known experts who are known for their pioneering work in the diagnosis and treatment of tumours.

The principal Investigator of the trial and director of the Liver Disease Centre of PLA 85 Hospital, Professor Chengwei Chen, commented, "When I heard of the success this treatment had in clinical trials for other cancers in the US, I was very excited at the prospect of the hope it could bring to the millions of patients in China suffering from HCC. I am happy to lead this endeavour to help as many people as we can."

Dr Steve Liu, chairman of CBMG, said, "The launch of this trial is a major milestone for all of the physicians, scientists and other professionals at CBMG, CSC and PLA 85 Hospital who have contributed to this work."

Multinational Contract Research Organisation (CRO) CMIC-GCP has been contracted to manage the trial design and minimize delays.

Dr William Cao, president of CBMG said, "In simplified terms, TC-DC therapy takes a sample of the patient's own dendritic, or immune cells and a sample of the patient's tumour stem cells and places them together in the lab. The dendritic cell will learn the characteristics of the tumour stem cells, and is reintroduced to the patient's body, where it can "train" the immune system to fight and destroy the tumour stem cells, which are the root cause of tumour recurrence and metastasis."

Cellular Biomedicine Group, Inc. develops proprietary cell therapies for the treatment of certain degenerative diseases and cancers.