Kancera provides an update on the development of the company’s pharmaceutical project and nominates a new drug candidate
2021-04-21
- two thirds of patients have now been dosed in the clinical study of KAND567 for the treatment of COVID-19; patient recruitment is expected to be completed during the current quarter,
- successful scaling up of production of the drug candidate KAND145, which enables planned clinical preparatory studies,
- nomination of KAND757 as a drug candidate in the PFKFB3 project after positive effects are documented in tumor preparations from patients with rectal cancer.
Phase IIa clinical trial in COVID patients
Kancera’s drug candidate KAND567 is developed primarily to reduce tissue damage in connection with myocardial infarction and as a treatment for COVID-19. The ongoing Phase IIa study in COVID-19 has now dosed two thirds of the total of 40 patients. The third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic means that the hospitals involved in the study must prioritize life-saving treatment, which affects the available resources for clinical trials. The company still estimates that the study’s four hospitals have the capacity to recruit all patients that remain during the current quarter, which means a certain delay compared to the previously communicated schedule (April).
The next step in the development of Fractalkine blockers against cancer
Kancera has recently strengthened its involvement in the field of cancer. In March, groundbreaking preclinical results were presented which show that the company’s drug candidates KAND567 and KAND145 have the ability to render resistant ovarian cancer tumors sensitive to today’s standard treatment with cytotoxic drugs. This is done by inhibiting the tumor’s ability to repair its DNA.
Production of KAND145 has recently been carried out on a scale that enables the implementation of clinical preparatory studies and initial clinical studies (kilogram scale). This means that Kancera is scheduled to begin toxicological studies with KAND145 during the fourth quarter of 2021. The company considers that the outlook is good for starting a clinical study with one of its drug candidates in patients with ovarian cancer already in 2022.
New drug candidate for rectal cancer
A recently published and extensive research study shows that another of Kancera’s drug substances, the PFKFB3 inhibitor KAND757 (1), effectively kills tumor preparations from rectal cancer patients by selectively blocking metabolism (2). These results, together with the company’s previous publication of how KAND757 increases cancer cells’ sensitivity to radiation therapy (3), show that KAND757 has the potential to meet the sought-after properties for the next generation of drugs for rectal cancer. Kancera has therefore decided to reconsider its previous decision to downgrade its PFKFB3 inhibitors and appoint KAND757 as a new drug candidate for preclinical development. Within the framework of Kancera’s current financing, the company intends to map the proportion of rectal cancer patients who are expected to be able to benefit from KAND757 and how the drug candidate is best delivered to the tumor in an effective dose. One of the dosing techniques to be investigated is depot formulation for local administration directly to the tumor. A potential decision to take KAND757 on to the clinical phase is intended to be made in 2022 based on the results of these studies.
“Overall, we can state that the projects are developing well, despite some of the challenges associated with the pandemic. With the latest advances in KAND145 and KAND757, we continue to establish Kancera as an innovator and developer of drugs that disrupt the treatment resistance of tumors. This allows us to contribute solutions to one of today’s biggest problems in cancer care, ”says Thomas Olin, CEO of Kancera.
About Kancera AB (publ)
Kancera AB is developing a new class of drugs for the treatment of inflammation and cancer. The company’s drug candidates exert their effect through a newly discovered control system for immune cells and cancer cells, the so-called fractalkine system. Kancera is conducting and preparing, respectively, two fully funded Phase IIa clinical trials with its most advanced drug candidate KAND567 against heart and lung damage caused by hyperinflammation associated with myocardial infarction and severe viral infections. These clinical studies are expected to deliver results in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Kancera also conducts preclinical development of the drug candidate KAND145, which is primarily intended for the treatment of autoimmune diseases and cancer. The stock is traded on the Nasdaq First North Premier Growth Market. FNCA Sweden AB (info@fnca.se, tel. 08-528 00 399) is the company’s Certified Adviser.
- PFKFB3 is a protein that controls the sugar metabolism and repair of DNA in cancer cells
- Cancers 2021, 13, 1011. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers13051011
- Nat Commun 9, 3872 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-06287-x
For further information:
Thomas Olin, CEO, Kancera AB
Tel: 0735-20 40 01
www.kancera.com