Sona Nanotech Inc (CSE:SONA, OTCQB:SNANF) said on Wednesday it has received approval from Nova Scotia’s Health Research Ethics Board to proceed with a pilot human clinical trial of its gold nanorod-based cancer treatment in patients with late-stage melanoma.
The multi-centre trial involving up to 40 patients will test Sona’s Targeted Hyperthermia Therapy (THT), which uses biocompatible gold nanorods designed to destroy cancer cells with localized heat.
“Cases of melanoma have tripled in 30 years in Canada where over 1,300 people die every year from this disease,” CEO David Regan said in a statement. “We are excited to be laying the foundation for the next steps necessary to get our THT cancer treatment into clinics.”
The pilot study will build on learnings from an ongoing early feasibility study and will assess the safety and preliminary efficacy of the therapy. Sona said the results will guide the design of a larger, potentially pivotal clinical trial, pending regulatory approval.
The company expects the pilot study to begin in late 2025 or early 2026.
The pilot study is contingent on securing Investigational Testing Authorization from Health Canada.