Jerusalem-based firm starts clinical trials for cancer treatment
The study will be conducted at multiple leading sites in the United States under a clinical collaboration with Roche, and is expected to attract 115 patients.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFCancer (Illustrative)(photo credit: INGIMAGE)Cancer immunotherapy company KAHR has announced the dosing of its first patient in the Phase 1/2 clinical trial for its treatment of solid tumors.The drug, known as DSP107, works by simultaneously targeting cancer cells, weakening their defense mechanisms, and activating the body's innate and adaptive immune systems to work against the cells.By targeting the tumor, it works to trigger a localized synergistic immune response through binding CD47 that cancer cells over-express. This essentially disables the cell's "don't eat me" signal (the means with which the cancer cells avoid being destroyed by the body's immune system, which is how cancer cells are able to continue to spread). It is then able to spark the attention of tumor-reactive T-cells, a specific type of immune cell that essentially finds and kills infected cells and pathogens, and possess a long-term memory to be able to react to specific targets."A hallmark of cancer is the ability to evade recognition and elimination by the body’s own immune system," explained KAHR CEO Yaron Pereg, Ph.D. "The MIRP technology is tailored to overcome this and re-educate the immune system.""It is exciting to see this novel platform moving forward into clinical development for the benefit of cancer patients," said Mark Tykocinski, MD, dean of Thomas Jefferson University's of medical school and inventor of MIRP.The study will be done in two parts. The first part will evaluate the safety of DSP107, as well how it affects the body. This part will also examine this treatment both alone and when in combination with another type of medicine, Roche's PD-L1-blocking checkpoint inhibitor atezolizumab (Tecentriq), in patients with advanced solid tumors.The second part will examine specifically if this therapy is effective in improving a patient's overall condition, both by itself and in combination with atezolizumab (Tecentriq).The study will be conducted at multiple leading sites in the United States in collaboration with Roche, and is expected to attract 115 patients. Donna Rachel Edmunds and Aaron Reich contributed to this report.
