Viventia Biotech begins phase I trial of cancer antibody

The drug, VB6-845, is a humanized antibody fragment targeting EpCAM fused with the company's proprietary deimmunized form of the cytotoxic protein Bouganin.

The phase I dose-escalation trial will enroll 40-50 patients with advanced epithelial cancers that are EpCAM positive and is designed to establish the safety and preliminary efficacy of the therapy. The study will be conducted as a solid tumors “all comers” trial, so that accrual can be expedited and a range of responses obtained.

“Our approach to creating cancer drugs has yielded a novel antibody-based therapeutic with the potential to be safer than traditional cancer treatments while attacking cancers in their most lethal form, once they have metastasized,” said Dr Nick Glover, president and CEO of Viventia Biotech. “We look forward to advancing this phase I trial and evaluating the safety and early efficacy results expected later this year.”

VB6-845 has demonstrated effective cancer cell killing properties in preclinical tests, the company said. A full array of animal efficacy studies and safety studies of VB6-845 for the treatment of ovarian cancer and other solid tumors has been completed. In animal xenograft studies, VB6-845 elicited 100% complete cures of established ovarian tumors. VB6-845 has been shown to be safely tolerated in both primate and rodent animal safety studies.