In a presentation at the 96th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in Anaheim, California, it was reported that CR011 selectively binds to GPNMB, a protein highly expressed on the surface of melanoma cells.
Furthermore, in xenograft models of melanoma, treatment with CR011 caused significant improvements in survival, including complete and durable tumor regression, without any notable toxicity or weight loss.
This data will be further explored in clinical trials, which are expected to begin during the first half of 2006.
“The preclinical data presented at AACR on CR011 suggests that this therapeutic kills melanoma cells and is able to induce a cure in xenografts models,” stated Dr William. Hahne, vice president of clinical development at CuraGen. “We look forward to fully exploring the safety and anti-tumor activity of CR011 as a potential treatment for patients with metastatic melanoma.”