Provectus Biopharmaceuticals Establishes Research Collaboration with University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine to Investigate Pharmaceutical-Grade Small Molecule Immunotherapy Rose Bengal Sodium for Canine Soft Tissue Sarcomas

KNOXVILLE, TN, June 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Provectus (OTCQB: PVCT) today announced that the Company has initiated a new sponsored research program with the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine (UTCVM) to assess the safety and preliminary efficacy of intralesional injection of a formulation of Provectus’s pharmaceutical-grade RBS for canine soft tissue sarcomas. UTCVM’s lead principal investigator of this work is clinical pathologist, comparative cancer biologist, and Assistant Professor Nora Springer, DVM, PhD, DACVP.

This preclinical and clinical veterinary study is being undertaken as part of the State of Tennessee’s funding to develop animal health drug products in partnership with state universities that have agriculture and veterinary medicine programs and the Company.

Soft tissue sarcomas are common malignant neoplasms in dogs that are locally invasive and have a high prevalence of recurrence after surgical excision. These tumors are often located on the extremities, where complete surgical excision is challenging because minimal soft tissues hinder the ability to gain adequate tumor margins while maintaining the ability to close the surgical wound. Adjuvant chemotherapeutic protocols do not improve either time to recurrence or overall survival with incompletely excised soft tissue sarcomas. Radical measures, such as limb amputation, are often required to ensure complete excision for limb sarcomas and this option is frequently unpalatable to patient owners. Therefore, intralesional injection resulting in tumor ablation may be an ideal treatment modality for soft tissue sarcomas.

Dr. Springer graduated from Marietta College with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, LaGuardia Community College with an Associate in Applied Science in Veterinary Technology, Kansas State University with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM), and Cornell University with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Translational Medicine. She completed the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP) certifying examination to become a Diplomate Member (DACVP), and has co-authored a number of medical journal publications to date.

Dominic Rodrigues, Vice Chairman of Provectus’s Board said, “We are excited to commence this canine cancer study with the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine and Dr. Nora Springer to accelerate our animal health drug development program. We believe that the Company’s adult cancer clinical and pediatric preclinical data to date can meaningfully contribute to Dr. Springer’s canine cancer work, and vice versa because spontaneous cancers in dogs share many features with human cancers.”