London, Aug. 3 (SANA)The world’s first clinical trial of an experimental immunotherapy known as ZI-MA4-1 has begun after a British patient with advanced ovarian cancer received the treatment’s first dose, marking a step toward evaluating a potential new therapy for a range of solid tumors.

According to The Sun, 58-year-old Tracy Tomlinson became the first patient to receive the investigational treatment at The Christie in Manchester. The trial, conducted in collaboration with The Royal Marsden Hospital in London, includes patients with ovarian, lung, soft tissue sarcoma and head and neck cancers.

The therapy combines natural killer (NK) cells with genetically engineered T-cell receptors (TCRs). The modified immune cells are designed to recognize and target the MAGE-A4 protein, which is expressed in several types of cancer cells.

Unlike personalized cell therapies that must be manufactured individually for each patient, ZI-MA4-1 is designed as an off-the-shelf therapy derived from donor immune cells, potentially making it available to a larger number of patients.

Tomlinson was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2020 and underwent surgery and chemotherapy before the disease returned, making her eligible for the trial. The initial phase is focused on assessing the treatment’s safety before researchers evaluate its effectiveness in controlling tumor growth and improving patient outcomes.

Researchers said that, if successful, the approach could broaden access to immunotherapy and provide a new treatment option for patients with advanced solid tumors that are difficult to treat using conventional therapies.