Sareum Holdings PLC (LON:SAR) surged on Thursday morning as its SRA737 checkpoint kinase 1 (Chk1) inhibitor continues to impress.
Chk1 controls a cancer cell's response to DNA damage, which could be caused by the disease itself or intentionally caused by chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
READ: Sareum primed for progress
Sierra Oncology Inc (NASDAQ:SRRA), the US firm which has licensed SRA737, has published pre-clinical data showing it had a “dramatic enhancement” in anti-tumour activity when combined with immunotherapy and low dose gemcitabine – one of the most commonly prescribed chemotherapies.
“These new studies reveal a striking immunomodulatory effect of SRA737 + LDG that results in some of the most profound synergistic activity with anti-PD-L1 therapy that we have observed in this model,” said Lauren Byers, associate professor at the University of Texas MD Anderson cancer center.
“We are excited by the potential clinical translatability of these findings and their possible broader impact on immune checkpoint blockade strategies.”
Research house Hybridan added: “This three-way combination is another potential addition to SRA737’s development programme which stands to generate significant further milestones and in due course royalties for Sareum.”
The data is being presented at the American Association of Cancer Research annual meeting in Atlanta, Georgia next month.
In afternoon trading in London, Sareum shares were 12.5% higher 0.68p.
Reporting results today, Sierra CEO Nick Glover commented: "We have enrolled a substantial number of patients into the two ongoing trials for our oral Chk1 inhibitor, SRA737, and remain on track to report clinical data from these studies in the first half of 2019."
In pre-market trading in New York, Sierra Oncology shares were 11.5% higher at $2.0299.
-- Adds Sierra comment, share price --