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news.Mersana Therapeutics has initiated a phase I open-label, dose-escalation trial of its cancer candidate in patients with solid tumors.
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The drug, XMT-1001, is a Fleximer-based prodrug of camptothecin (CPT), a well-characterized topoisomerase I inhibitor with potent anti-tumor activity. The drug utilizes the company’s Fleximer technology which delivers the drug with less toxicity, according to Mersana.
The primary objectives of the study are to determine the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetic profile of XMT-1001. Patients also will be assessed for evidence of anti-tumor activity.
Preclinical data from studies with XMT-1001 showed that the agent was a potent and efficacious agent against tumor xenografts of human colon cancer and human ovarian cancer, Mersana said.
“Derivatives of the anticancer agent camptothecin, such as Camptosar, have been successful but their true clinical potential has been limited by safety issues,” said Robert Fram, chief medical officer at Mersana. “It is our hope that our Fleximer-based CPT conjugate, XMT-1001, will significantly improve the safety and therapeutic window of CPT and position the compound to be effective in a broad range of solid tumors.”