Myriad drug to enter brain cancer trial

This new human clinical study will evaluate the potential of MPC-6827 to treat metastatic brain cancer by achieving therapeutic concentrations in the brain that are sufficient to treat tumors without significant systemic exposure or toxicity.

In preclinical studies, MPC-6827 was demonstrated to reach approximately 1,500% greater concentration in the brain than in the blood. This high brain concentration was achieved at a safe therapeutic dose for the treatment of peripheral tumors in mice. Importantly however, the company believes that a much lower dose in humans should result in brain concentrations of MPC-6827 sufficient for anti-tumor activity yet without peripheral toxicity.

The highest brain penetration percentage of drugs that are currently used in treating brain cancer is that of temozolomide (marketed by Schering-Plough as Temodar in the US), which reaches a peak brain concentration level that is just 29% of the blood plasma concentration. Myriad believes that the strong and selective brain penetration of MPC-6827 suggests a special opportunity to study anti-tumor activity in patients with primary brain tumors and brain metastases that are resistant to current standard of care therapy.

“Treating brain tumors has proven to be one of the great challenges in cancer therapy,” said Dr Lauren Abrey, a board certified neurologist and clinical neuro-oncologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, and principal investigator on the phase I study. “MPC-6827 has shown the potential to address this need due to its ability, in preclinical models, to cross the blood/brain barrier and achieve therapeutic levels.”