Faron Pharmaceuticals Limited (AIM:FARN, OTC:FPHAF), a specialist in macrophage reprogramming and anticancer immunotherapies, has shared its breakthrough research in treating late-stage solid tumours in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
Specifically, the company said comprehensive results from the phase I/II MATINS trial of bexmarilimab had been published in Cell Reports Medicine. The report underscores the drug's efficacy and safety in patients with advanced, treatment-resistant cancers.
The MATINS trial, a first-in-human study, focused on evaluating the safety and anti-tumour effectiveness of bexmarilimab.
The Faron discovery targets a protein called CLEVER-1 found in certain immune cells (macrophages) that usually help cancer cells evade the body's immune response.
By blocking this protein, bexmarilimab reactivates the immune system's ability to recognise and fight cancer cells. The trial involved more than 200 patients with late-stage solid tumours, showing that the treatment was well-tolerated and did not cause any major side effects.
Notably, patients treated with bexmarilimab showed disease control rates associated with prolonged survival.
Further, profiling of tumours in patients treated with bexmarilimab revealed activation of immune cells called intra-tumoral macrophages and stimulation of other parts of the human immune system (IFNɣ and T-cell receptors) in a significant number of cases.
These findings underscore bexmarilimab's potential as a transformative therapy for patients with solid tumours, particularly those who have exhausted other treatment options.
"Positive phase I/II data published in Cell Reports Medicine highlights bexmarilimab's potential to overcome cancer immune resistance by restoring macrophage immune function," said Petri Bono, the study's principal investigator.
"We are pleased to see that bexmarilimab was safe and very well-tolerated, achieving disease control and prolonged survival in a proportion of patients with very late-stage solid tumours who have exhausted all standard treatment options.
"The observed stimulation of immune responses including macrophage activation increased IFNɣ signalling, and improved survival are particularly compelling given the challenging context of the late-stage, treatment-refractory disease patient population and the inclusion of nonimmunogenic cold tumours in this first-in-human trial."