Surgeon propels progress against the toughest tumors by funding clinical testing of a new immunotherapy drug
Illustration by John Krause / iSpot
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of the most complex and deadly cancers, but a trailblazing gift from Dr. Apostolos Stathopoulos—a former neurosurgery fellow at USC—is driving progress on a promising treatment and helping USC build the world’s leading neuroimmunotherapy program.
Dr. Stathopoulos is a neurosurgeon and founder and CEO of Epitopoietic Research Corporation (ERC), which develops new therapies to defeat brain cancers.
GBM is aggressive and generally resistant to conventional therapies. ERC developed an immunotherapy drug prepared with the patient’s own cancer cells (autologous cells) and cancer cells from other patients (allogeneic cells).
The Keck School of Medicine of USC’s Dr. Thomas Chen led testing of approach in his lab. The treatment demonstrated efficacy in Phase II clinical trials.
Photo courtesy of Apostoulos Stathopoulos
The gift of $5 million from Dr. Stathopoulos will support advancement to a Phase III clinical trial and progress toward the establishment of a unique neuroimmunotherapy program at USC. He expressed his appreciation of Dr. Chen’s role testing ERC’s drug, “since we have found the USC team completely aligned with our values in the rapid development and approval of this life-saving cancer treatment.” Dr. Chen called the collaboration “a USC success story.”
Deeply grateful for his neurosurgery fellowship experience and for the leadership of the long-term chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery, Dr. Steven Giannotta, Dr. Stathopoulos had been looking for the right moment to give back through his philanthropic leadership. Supporting Dr. Chen provided that opportunity—and potentially a game changing moment in the fight against GBM.