Faron Pharmaceuticals Limited (AIM:FARN, OTC:FPHAF) has released interesting new findings from its phase I/II MATINS study that shed some light in the way its cancer drug candidate works.
The trial was initiated to assess the effectiveness and safety of bexmarilimab, an immunotherapy developed by the company, in treating solid tumours.
The fresh research, contained in manuscript form, demonstrated that bexmarilimab can help control late-stage cancer and prolong survival by changing the tumour environment and converting macrophages, a type of immune cell.
Bexmarilimab targets CLEVER-1, an immunosuppressive receptor on macrophages that can lead to tumour growth and metastases (spread of the disease to other organs).
The treatment is well-tolerated by patients and primes the immune system to attack the cancer.
Dr Maija Hollmén, Faron’s chief scientific officer, expressed satisfaction with the results, which show bexmarilimab's promising antitumor activity as a single agent in late-stage solid tumours.
"This manuscript brings together clinical safety and efficacy data with in-depth analyses of tumour biopsies and systemic inflammatory responses,” she added.
“Excitingly, it reinforces the evidence that macrophage conversion in the tumour takes place after bexmarilimab administration and coincides with treatment benefit."