Experimental drug doubles survival of ovarian cancer patients in trial
February 15, 2026
Survival Rates Near Double With Experimental Therapy In Ovarian Cancer
February 16, 2026DNA Therapy Doubles Ovarian Cancer Survival
Elenagen, a first-in-class plasmid DNA therapy (immunotherapy), in combination with standard gemcitabine chemotherapy increased median overall survival (OS) from 13 months to over 25 months in patients with tough ovarian cancers.
The data come from findings published in the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer. A major therapeutic advance in the fight against platinum-resistant ovarian cancer (PROC) is set to take center stage at the 27th Congress of the European Society of Gynaecological Oncology (ESGO 2026).
Dr. Gabriel Levin, a renowned gynecologic oncologist at McGill University Health Centre and Director of Oncology at CureLab Oncology Inc., will deliver an oral presentation on February 27, 2026, detailing landmark results from a randomized Phase II clinical trial.
Researchers found that the combination therapy reduced mortality risk up to 59% and significantly outperformed chemotherapy alone, particularly in high-risk patients with elevated CA-125 levels.
Clinical Evidence: Elenagen Phase II Trial Results for Ovarian Cancer
Unlike traditional treatments, Elenagen reshapes the tumor microenvironment and reduces chronic inflammation without increasing toxicity. These findings pave the way for upcoming Phase III clinical trials in the U.S. and EU.
Adding Elenagen to chemo significantly extends life expectancy for high-risk ovarian cancer patients. Data shows the longer patients stay on this DNA immunotherapy, the better they do, paving the way for major new global trials.
Furthermore, an official Phase II study confirmed that the weekly DNA injection plus chemo on patients whose cancer stopped responding to standard drugs. It confirms the treatment is safe and focuses on boosting the immune system.
Elenagen: A New Approach that Supports the Body’s Biology Without Added Toxicity
According to Sergei Krasny, MD, Ph.D., Sc.D., co-author of the study. “What makes these results remarkable is not only the magnitude of the survival benefit, but that it was achieved without added toxicity and without specific biomarker.”
“This suggests a fundamentally different therapeutic approach - one that supports the body’s biology rather than simply intensifying chemotherapy.”
Longer exposure to Elenagen strongly correlated with longer survival following treatment discontinuation, particularly within the first 12 months.
As a result, the overall survival benefit reported is considered a conservative, “lower-bound” estimate. Future U.S. and EU trials will provide Elenagen for up to 24 months, based on data suggesting extended treatment maximizes benefit.
Elenagen Drug is A Novel Therapy for Both Cancer and Chronic Inflammation
Elenagen acts by reducing chronic inflammation and reshaping the tumor microenvironment, enabling greater infiltration of immune cells while limiting tumor immune suppression and spread of metastasis. Also, cancer cells’ reliance on p62/SQSTM1 appears to make overabundantly produced p62 a unique cancer-specific immune target which Elenagen trains immunity to attack.
Dr. Alexander Shneider, CEO of CureLab Oncology, inventor of Elenagen, and senior author of the paper. “What initially started as a cancer vaccine, now evolved in a comprehensive adjuvant filling the gaps of current anti-cancer therapies.”
“Following serendipitous discoveries, we made Elenagen to evolve from a simple anti-cancer vaccine to a novel class of therapy against cancers, diseases of chronic inflammation, and potentially even aging”
Phase III Trial Protocols of Elenagen for Ovarian and Breast Cancer are Expanding to U.S. and EU
Due to geopolitical circumstances affecting drug supply, all patients in this ex-U.S. trial were required to stop Elenagen simultaneously, despite treatment durations ranging from less than one month to more than 30 months. This unexpected interruption yielded important insights.
It demonstrated that post-treatment effect is proportional to duration of the treatment, although the extent of the additional treatment reduces between 12th and 24th months. Thus, in the future trials, protocols will assume Elenagen application of up to 2 years.
CureLab Oncology is preparing Phase II/III clinical trials in the U.S. and EU, with protocols developed in collaboration with the Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) Foundation. In addition to platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, the company plans FDA-guided trials in aggressive forms of breast cancer.
Future studies will formally assess quality of life, a potential differentiator for therapies targeting chronic inflammation.
Elenagen Immunotherapy Provides New Hope for Platinum-Resistant Ovarian Cancers
Ovarian cancer remains one of the most lethal cancers affecting women. Approximately 1 in 80 women will develop the disease during her lifetime. Each year, over 12,000 women die of the disease in the U.S., and over 200,000 worldwide.
While many women initially respond to chemotherapy, the cancer recurs in the majority of cases. Effectively, all women with recurrent cancer eventually develop platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.
At this point, treatment options are extremely limited, response rates are low, and average survival is often measured in months, frequently accompanied by significant side effects. Among these patients, those with elevated CA-125 levels have the poorest prognosis.
References:
- Elenagen, a p62/SQSTM1-encoding plasmid, improves overall survival in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer: a phase II trial - (https://www.international-journal-of-gynecological-cancer.com/article/S1048-891X(25)03580-7/fulltext)
- Elenagen, a p62/SQSTM1-encoding plasmid, improves overall survival in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer: a phase II trial - (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41577503/)
- Overall survival benefit with elenagen plus gemcitabine in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer - (https://ecancer.org/en/news/27801-overall-survival-benefit-with-elenagen-plus-gemcitabine-in-platinum-resistant-ovarian-cancer)
- Efficacy of Plasmid Elenagen in Combination With Gemcitabine in Patients With Platinum-resistant Ovarian Cancer - (https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05979298)
