Ganetespib is a non-ansamycin inhibitor of Hsp90, which is a key facilitator of cancer cell growth and survival.
Ganetespib is now being studied in combination with docetaxel in a Phase 2b/3 clinical trial (Galaxy) in NSCLC patients.
Synta chief medical officer Vojo Vukovic said the favorable safety profile from the Phase 1 ganetespib+docetaxel combination study, and the single agent activity seen in the Phase 2 NSCLC study are supportive of the Galaxy trial.
"Today’s preclinical results complement a sizable scientific literature suggesting multiple points of synergy between microtubule targeting agents and Hsp90 inhibition," Vukovic added.
In preclinical studies, both ganetespib and docetaxel demonstrated potent single agent anticancer activity in NSCLC cell lines.