Under development by Cytheris, CYT107 is a critical immune-modulator for immune T-cell recovery and enhancement.
Clinical trials including more than 180 patients in Europe, North America, South Africa and Taiwan have demonstrated the potential of IL-7 to expand and protect CD4 and CD8 T-cells.
CYT107 was chosen from an initial list of more than 20 potential agents based on reviews conducted at a series of three National Cancer Institute (NCI) immunotherapy workshops held between 2007 and 2009 during which participants prioritized agents with a high potential to serve as immunotherapeutic drugs for cancer.
Cytheris president and CEO Michel Morre said the selection of CYT107 for study in immunotherapy trials conducted by the investigators from CITN member sites is a clear recognition of the potential of this cytokine to play an important role in the development of new approaches to the treatment of various cancers.
"We share the desire of all participants in the CITN program that the NCI sponsored initiative leads to therapeutic advances direct and lasting benefit to the large and growing population of cancer patients," Morre said.
Currently, Cytheris is conducting multiple international investigations of IL-7 in HIV, HCV, HBV, post-BMT and cancer.