Evgen Pharma PLC (AIM:EVG) said its collaborator at the Erasmus University Medical Centre in the Netherlands has received a successful notice of a grant from the KWF Dutch Cancer Society for investigator-sponsored pre-clinical and clinical studies of SFX-01 in glioblastoma.
The studies will cover the use of SFX-01 in pre-clinical glioblastoma models, followed by a clinical Investigator Sponsored Study (ISS) window-of-opportunity study in glioblastoma patients.
The intention is to establish presence of the drug in human brain tumours and engagement with relevant molecular targets in excised tumour tissue.
Dr Marjolein Geurts, a neurologist at Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Rotterdam, will conduct the work.
In a statement, Dr Huw Jones, chief executive of Evgen Pharma, commented: "We announced earlier this year that our glioblastoma programme would be conducted as an ISS with non-dilutive funding. This award means that we remain on schedule to deliver this study in close collaboration with Dr Geurts.
"Congratulations to her and the Evgen team who compiled the grant application. The non-dilutive funding enables us to continue to preserve our capital and maintain our cash runway to the end of 2024 whilst continuing to generate valuable data on SFX-01."
Jones noted that If the ISS and subsequent clinical trials succeed, SFX-01 will represent a novel and well-tolerated option for patients with this devastating disease.