These new collaborations center on the Locus p38 inhibitor portfolio of drug development candidates, and will build upon an existing research relationship with Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) which focuses on LP-261, Locus’s clinical candidate in Phase I.
The p38 portfolio is comprised of highly selective allosteric inhibitors of p38 alpha and beta isozymes and LP-590, a multikinase inhibitor of p38, Tie-2, and Ret kinases. Both programs are in late preclinical development for the treatment of cancers characterized by angiogenesis and inflammation.
Jamie Freedman, chief medical officer of Locus, said: “The CTRC and MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC) are world-renowned cancer research centers with well-respected investigators and we are very excited to begin these key research collaborations soon. We anticipate that the preclinical studies will assist us in identifying patient populations most likely to benefit from our drugs.”