Pieris said that the trial is designed to test PRS-050 in approximately 40 patients, who will receive the compound and then be monitored for safety and tolerability. The patients recruited for the trial are cancer patients with advanced, recurrent or metastatic solid tumors, refractory to standard therapy.
PRS-050’s mechanism of action is based on its ability to bind the VEGF ligand, thereby inhibiting tumor growth.
In the trial the researchers are evaluating the safety and tolerability of the compound in patients with solid tumors. Conducted at three sites in Germany, the trial is underway and patients from the first cohort have been dosed.
Stephen Yoder, CEO of Pieris, said: “Meeting our goal of initiating this trial in the first half of 2010 demonstrates Pieris’ commitment to establishing the safety and the therapeutic relevance of the Anticalin drug class.
“Further, the high potency observed in preclinical studies, together with the small size and the lack of an antibody Fc domain, show promise of an attractive combined efficacy and safety profile for PRS-050.”