The trial expects to investigate the treatment efficacy of ADI-PEG 20 as a single agent compared to the best supportive care.
Previous studies showed that 63% of patients with malignant mesothelioma had low levels or no metabolic enzyme argininosuccinate synthetase (ASS) in their tumor tissues.
The study also demonstrated that viability of mesothelioma cell lines from these patients declined markedly when deprived of arginine if they were ASS-negative.
Polaris Group Medical Affairs executive vice president John Bomalaski said they are very excited about the potential of using ADI-PEG 20 to treat multiple forms of cancer.
"We are already evaluating ADI-PEG 20 in a Phase 2 trial in small cell lung cancer, and we look forward to initiating additional trials in tumors with a high degree of ASS deficiency," Bomalaski said.