Lisata Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:LSTA), the US-based clinical-stage pharmaceutical company, announced a preclinical research collaboration to explore a novel skin cancer treatment combination with Finnish immunotherapy developer Valo Therapeutics Oy.
Under the collaboration, Valo Therapeutics will lead research investigating the potential benefits of combining Lisata's experimental drug, certepetide, with Valo’s PeptiCRAd immunotherapy platform and a checkpoint inhibitor.
Lisata will supply certepetide, which is designed to modify the tumor environment to make it more responsive to immunotherapy, while Valo will conduct the trials in a melanoma mouse model.
“Building on previous preclinical work demonstrating certepetide's synergistic effects with immunotherapies, we aim to uncover additional benefits by combining certepetide with ValoTx's PeptiCRAd immunotherapy,” said Kristen Buck, executive vice president of research and development and chief medical officer of Lisata.
“Given the complementary mechanisms of action of these therapies, including certepetide’s ability to modify the tumor microenvironment making it less immunosuppressive, we believe this approach could ultimately lead to improved patient outcomes by addressing the challenges facing current melanoma treatments, including resistance, recurrence, and metastasis.”
Valo’s PeptiCRAd platform uses peptides to enhance immune responses against cancer cells.
“The combination of our proprietary PeptiCRAd and Lisata's innovative certepetide tumor targeting and penetration technology has the potential to unlock new frontiers in cancer immunotherapy,” Valo CEO and chief scientific officer Sari Pesonen said.
“Together, we hope to accelerate the development of more effective treatments for patients in desperate need, ultimately translating our preclinical findings into life-changing therapies for cancer patients.”
Melanoma, a dangerous form of skin cancer, results in approximately 58,000 deaths each year globally, according to the World Health Organization. While standard treatments like checkpoint inhibitors show an overall response rate between 35% and 60%, many patients with advanced disease still lack effective options.