Evgen Pharma PLC (LONEVG) chief executive Dr Huw Jones has said he is excited by “compelling new data” for lead compound SFX-01 in pre-clinical models of glioma and glioblastoma.
Work carried out in collaboration with an unnamed but prominent European university showed tumour shrinkage and significantly extended survival times.
SFX-01 was also found to substantially increase the therapeutic effect of radiotherapy in these models.
“The positive tolerability profile of SFX-01 makes it a viable option for use in addition to current treatments,” said CEO Jones in a statement.
“Our plan is to expand upon these pre-clinical data in this and new collaborations, and start the process of designing an appropriate Phase II clinical trial."
People with glioma, a blanket term for glial tumours that affect the brain, have severely limited therapeutic options.
Evgen is developing medicines based on sulforaphane, a sulfur-rich compound found in vegetables such as broccoli, bok choy, and cabbage.
Its core technology is Sulforadex, a method for synthesising and stabilising the naturally occurring compound.
The group's lead product is SFX-01, a patented composition of synthetic sulforaphane and alpha-cyclodextrin.
Last year Evgen successfully completed a phase II trial of its drug in women with certain forms of advanced breast cancer.