Redx Pharma PLC (AIM:REDX) said it had dosed the first cancer patient taking part in a phase II efficacy trial of its highly targeted cancer drug, RXC004.
The treatment will be administered to people with microsatellite stable metastatic colorectal cancer.
RXC004 has been developed to disrupt or inhibit the Wnt-ligand signalling pathway used by cancers.
The current trial will use the Redx drug only and will also assess its safety. Top-line results are expected in the first half of 2023.
A second arm of the evaluation will assess RXC004 in combination with an anti-PD-1 antibody called nivolumab. This is set to get underway in the second half of next year.
Dr Natalie Cook of the University of Manchester and Christie NHS Foundation Trust is the international coordinating investigator of the study in the UK.
She said: “Microsatellite stable metastatic colorectal cancer is a devastating disease, with limited treatment options.
“A subgroup of these colorectal cancers possess RNF43 mutations or RSPO fusions leading to activation of the Wnt pathway as a driver of the cancer.
“This study will assess whether RXC004, a novel Porcupine inhibitor, has a clinically meaningful anti-cancer effect in this well-defined patient cohort.’’
Redx chief executive Lisa Anson said she was "excited" at dosing the first patient with the company’s first wholly-owned phase II drug.
“Our encouraging phase I results, recently reported at the ESMO Congress, combined with our preclinical data, strongly support the hypothesis that patients with Wnt-ligand driven tumours could benefit from RXC004,” she added.