Patrys Limited (ASX:PAB) is a leading ASX gainer on news of progress with its proprietary deoxymab drug candidates that are targeting the aggressive brain cancer, glioblastoma.
Shares were up almost 32% to 5.4 cents intra-day on volume of more than 66 million.
The two pre-clinical drug candidates, PAB-DX1 and nanoparticle version PAB-DX1-NP, have been found to effectively target and kill human glioblastoma cancer stem cells in vitro.
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This is a significant development and will support the company’s R&D collaboration with Yale School of Medicine and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), an affiliate of Harvard Medical School.
Chief executive officer and managing director Dr James Campbell said: “Patrys has previously shown that PAT‐DX1 and PAT‐DX1‐NPs can cross the blood brain barrier in a mouse model of glioblastoma.
“Confirmation that PAT‐DX1 targets and kills primary human glioblastoma stem cell tumour spheres in vitro is another exciting development.
“This data strengthens the case for glioblastoma as a development path for the DX1 technology.”
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Glioblastoma is a particularly aggressive, highly malignant form of brain cancer characterised by very fast cellular reproduction.
Glioblastomas constitute about 17% of all primary brain cancers, with almost 12,000 new cases diagnosed in the US each year.
DX1 technology targets tumour spheres
Doctors James Hansen and Jiangbing Zhou of the Yale School of Medicine have confirmed that PAT‐DX1 and PAT‐DX1‐NP target tumour spheres derived from human glioblastoma cancer stem cells (CSCs).
Primary glioblastoma stem cells from human tumour explants were grown in culture as tumour spheres.
These are recognised as a useful tool for pre‐clinical studies as they retain tumour heterogeneity and more closely represent the original patient tumour.
Increased localisation
Treatment with PAT‐DX1‐NP showed significantly increased localisation to the CSC tumour spheres compared to unconjugated NPs.
Importantly, PAT‐DX1‐NP penetrated into the centre of the tumour spheres and targeted cells inside the spheres as well as cells on the sphere surface.
Follow‐on experiments showed that unconjugated PAT‐DX1 significantly reduced the growth and viability of the CSC tumour spheres.
CSCs are tumour‐forming cancer cells found within tumours that have the potential to give rise to all cell types found in a particular cancer sample.
Scene set for research plan
Dr Campbell said: “This new observation sets the scene for Patrys’ research plan with the Yale School of Medicine to test PAT‐DX1 in a proxy for the current human therapy regime for glioblastoma.
“This study will involve combinations of PAT‐DX1, temozolomide and radiation therapy, and evaluation of the single and combined effects on tumour size and survival.
“Data from this study is due in the fourth quarter of 2018 and will inform possible clinical studies in glioblastoma.”
With a balance sheet strengthened by a recent $4.6 million placement to strategic, institutional and sophisticated investors, Patrys is well positioned to explore the broad potential of the deoxymab technology.