Endocyte anticancer drug begins safety trial

Folate receptors are commonly found on the surface of many types of tumor cells, but they are relatively rare in most non-cancerous tissue. By combining folate with anticancer agents, researchers at Endocyte are working to develop a new class of therapeutics capable of targeting folate receptors and delivering active anticancer drugs directly into tumor cells.

“We are very encouraged by the results of preclinical studies that have demonstrated the ability of folate-targeted therapies to deliver anticancer agents into tumor cells,” said Dr Christopher Leamon, vice president of Research at Endocyte. “Endocyte’s proprietary targeting technology enables anticancer drugs to reach tumor cells more specifically through a process that is also hypothesized to reduce the risk of toxicity to healthy tissues.”