Advertise With UsAdvertise on our extensive network of industry websites and newsletters.
Get the PBR newsletterSign up to our free email to get all the latest PBR
news.Synta Pharmaceuticals said first patients have been treated in two trials that are evaluating efficacy of the company's lead drug candidate, ganetespib, in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors show rearrangement of the anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene (ALK+).
Subscribe to our email newsletter
Patients who have not been previously treated with a direct ALK inhibitor, such as crizotinib, are being enrolled for both trials.
In the first trial, CHIARA trial (CHaperone Inhibition in Alk Rearranged lung cAncer), ganetespib monotherapy administration is being evaluated in up to 110 patients from centers in the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia, with Stage IIIB/IV non-small-cell lung cancer harboring an ALK gene rearrangement.
Synta chief medical officer Vojo Vukovic said the CHIARA trial is the company’s first trial to examine the effect of an Hsp90 inhibitor as monotherapy in a large group of patients with a specific biomarker predictive of clinical outcome
"The clinical and preclinical rationale for use of Hsp90 inhibition in this setting is strong, and we are hopeful that this targeted development approach can lead to a new treatment option for these lung cancer patients," Vukovic added.
In another trial, sponsored by and conducted at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, the combination of ganetespib and crizotinib is being evaluated in up to 55 patients.
Principal Investigator of the Phase 1/2 clinical trial at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Greg Riely said while crizotinib, a direct ALK inhibitor, has been shown to have strong anti-cancer activity in ALK+ lung cancer tumors, the center would like to extend those benefits.
"Combination treatment with an Hsp90 inhibitor, such as ganetespib, which has demonstrated activity against ALK+ lung cancer both in preclinical models and in clinical trials, may provide a complimentary approach to targeting the underlying drivers of this disease," Riely added.
Ganetespib is a selective and potent Hsp90 inhibitor. Hsp90 is a molecular chaperone protein that was recently identified as essential for the proper expression and function of the ALK protein.
Treatment with ganetespib in preclinical models have indicated the degradation of the ALK protein and the drug’s effectiveness in killing a broad panel of ALK+ cell lines that were resistant to treatment with crizotinib and other direct ALK inhibitors.
In preclinical models, the combination of ganetespib and crizotinib has been shown to have greater activity of ALK+ lung cancer than either agent alone.