Synta initiates Phase I/II hematologic cancer study

Synta Pharmaceuticals, a developer and marketer of small molecule drugs, has treated the first patient in a Phase I/II clinical study of STA-9090, a novel heat shock protein 90 inhibitor, in hematologic malignancies.

According to Synta, this is the third clinical study to be initiated on STA-9090, a synthetic, small molecule heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) inhibitor with a novel chemical structure that is unrelated to the ansamycin class of Hsp90 inhibitors, including 17-AAG.

The open-label Phase I/II study in patients with hematologic malignancies is designed to identify the recommended dose of STA-9090 for further study in a hematologic population, based on a twice-weekly intravenous dosing schedule, and to characterize its safety and efficacy profile in this patient population. Additional trials for STA-9090, in additional indications, are planned for later in 2009, the company said.

James Barsoum, senior vice president of research at Synta, said: In preclinical models, we have seen potent activity in cancers that have become resistant to kinase inhibitors such as imatinib (Gleevec), erlotinib (Tarceva), and sunitinib (Sutent), and, importantly, substantially improved safety and potency compared to the first-generation, ansamycin family of Hsp90 inhibitors, including activity in models resistant to 17-AAG. The collected data suggest hematologic malignancies are a particularly good choice for the clinical development of STA-9090.