Lisata Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:LSTA) has unveiled encouraging preclinical results for its drug candidate, certepetide, in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, a cancer found inside the bile ducts.
The results, presented at the 2024 Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation Annual Conference, support advancing clinical development efforts for the drug.
In the study, certepetide was combined with standard chemotherapy and immunotherapy treatments. The combination improved survival rates in mice with bile duct cancer.
Dr Dan Duda of Massachusetts General Hospital shared the findings, suggesting that certepetide could benefit human patients.
Cholangiocarcinoma is difficult to treat and has few effective therapies. The positive results from this preclinical study indicate that certepetide has the potential to enhance current treatment options and improve outcomes for patients with this challenging disease.
“Previous preclinical and early clinical results for certepetide show promise, and Lisata is optimistic about its potential to benefit patients with advanced solid tumors, including cholangiocarcinoma,” said Lisata's chief medical officer, Kristen Buck.
In addition to the work in the lab, Lisata has underway two phase II clinical trials. The BOLSTER phase IIa evaluation is deploying certepetide and the standard-of-care chemotherapy to treat cholangiocarcinoma. The results are expected next year.
A potential major inflexion point will come at the end of a phase IIb study assessing the potential of the drug to tackle pancreatic cancer.
Currently, there are no effective treatments for the disease, which is effectively a death sentence for those diagnosed with it.