Benzinga | Feb 25, 2021 11:34AM EST

Celsion's Ovarian Cancer Immunotherapy Shows 38% Improvement In R0 Resection Rates Versus Control Arm

* Celsion Corporation (NASDAQ: CLSN) reports interim observations and provides an update on its Phase 1/2 OVATION 2 study with GEN-1 in newly diagnosed patients with stage 3/4 ovarian cancer.

* GEN-1 is a DNA-mediated interleukin-12 (IL-12) immunotherapy.

* The OVATION 2 study combines GEN-1 with standard-of-care neoadjuvant chemotherapy. NACT is designed to shrink cancer as much as possible for optimal surgical removal after three chemotherapy cycles.

* Celsion has enrolled 34 of the anticipated 110 patients, from which 20 are in the treatment arm and 14 are in control.

* 12 of 15 patients treated with GEN-1 had an R0 resection, which indicates a microscopically margin-negative complete resection in which no gross or microscopic tumor remains in the tumor bed.

* 7 of 12 patients in the control arm had an R0 resection.

* Enrollment in the study to complete during the second half of 2021.

* Earlier this week, CLSN stock rallied after GEN-1 received Fast Track Designation for advanced ovarian cancer.

* Price Action: CLSN at up 1.23% at $2.33 in market trading hours on the last check Thursday.