Therapy could increase ovarian cancer survival, paper finds – Drug Discovery World (DDW)
January 15, 2026
DDW Highlights: 20 January 2026
January 20, 2026Novel DNA-based therapy achieves reduction in mortality in resistant ovarian cancer
A newly published paper that shows that a DNA-based therapeutic agent called Elenagen demonstrated favourable results for women facing platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. The research shows that the agent, when combined with chemotherapy, increased overall survival compared with chemotherapy alone.
The research showed patients who received Elenagen plus chemotherapy lived significantly longer than those who received chemotherapy alone. The median overall survival increased from approximately 13 months to over 25 months.
This was with women facing platinum-resistant ovarian cancer(PROC). Researchers evaluated the novel DNA-based therapy, administered in combination with the standard chemotherapy, gemcitabine, in women with PROC and elevated CA-125.
Elenagen is a plasmid therapy—a small, circular piece of DNA encoding the protein p62/SQSTM1 — currently being developed by the firm CureLab Oncology, Inc.
In the randomized Phase II trial, Elenagen was administered once weekly via a simple intramuscular injection. In the reporting, researchers supplementing the standard of care (chemotherapy) with Elenagen, have significantly extended overall survival for patients with the deadliest form of ovarian cancer.
Key findings
The randomized Phase II clinical trial indicated:
- Extended Survival: Women who received Elenagen plus chemotherapy lived significantly longer than those who received chemotherapy alone.
- Doubled Median Overall Survival: Median overall survival increased from approximately 13 months to over 25 months.
- Reduced Mortality: The risk of death was reduced by nearly 60%.
- High Safety Profile: Importantly, the addition of Elenagen did not increase treatment-related toxicity.
- Long-term Responders: Some patients receiving Elenagen survived several years beyond typical expectations for this clinical setting.
Ovarian cancer
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.
Administration success
Longer administration of Elenagen strongly correlated with longer patient survival after treatment was terminated. This effect was most evident during the first 12 months, with diminishing—though still significant—extension in life expectancy at 18 months. Consequently, the extended overall survival reported is considered a “lower bound” because it includes patients who received the therapy forinsufficient duration. In planned U.S. and EU trials, CureLab will offer Elenagen for 24 months, as data suggests further treatment may offer no additional benefit.
How Elenagen works against cancer
Elenagen’s ability to reduce chronic inflammation alters the intratumoral microenvironment, facilitating the penetration of immune cells (Tumour-Infiltrating Lymphocytes, or TILs). Simultaneously, it impairs metastatic cells’ ability to exit the tumour and form remote lesions, while preventing the tumour from suppressing the active immune response.
The research is published in the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer, titled “A Newly Published Paper Demonstrates That A Novel DNA-Based Therapy Called Elenagen Achieves Significant Reduction in Mortality and an Increase In Overall Survival in Platinum Resistant Ovarian Cancer.”
