The phase Ib clinical trial follows previously announced preclinical data presented at a recent conference of the American Association for Cancer Research which showed that the combination of CA4P with the anti-angiogenic drug, Avastin, produced significant anti-tumor activity and could offer a powerful and highly targeted treatment strategy for fighting solid tumors.
According to the company, this will be the first human clinical trial to pair a vascular disrupting compound and an anti-angiogenic agent in the treatment of cancer, specifically in people who have failed previous treatment and who are in advanced stages of disease.
“Preclinical models continue to support the theory that the combination of compounds targeted toward tumor vasculature could have a profound anti-tumor effect in humans,” stated Dr David Chaplin, chief scientific officer at Oxigene. “In addition, we believe the complementary action of a VDA with anti-angiogenic approaches may have utility not only in cancer, but in other diseases where abnormal new vessel growth underlies the disease pathology.”