Kancera reports convincing preclinical results and decision to initiate clinical development of KAND567 in ovarian cancer

Approximately 300,000 women annually are diagnosed with ovarian cancer in US and Europe. The disease is often diagnosed at a late stage – stage III or later – and as a consequence the probability of five years survival is less than 30%. The current standard of care is surgery followed by platinum-based chemotherapy. This treatment is however limited in efficacy as cancer cells develop resistance to chemotherapy through the ability to repair the DNA damage that chemotherapy causes.

”The new preclinical results strengthen the hypothesis that our Fractalkine-blocking drugs are acting through two mechanisms that each have the potential to increase the efficacy of standard-of-care chemotherapy given to patients with ovarian cancer in late progress stage. These results in combination with the encouraging feedback on the clinical relevance that we have received from leading physicians in the field, create a solid foundation for advancing this project further into clinical studies”, says Thomas Olin, CEO of Kancera.

Kancera has previously published results from its preclinical research in the leading scientific magazine Cancers. These results showed that Kancera’s Fractalkine-blocking drugs inhibit cancer cells’ DNA repair after platinum-based chemotherapy, leading to a restored sensitivity to chemotherapy treatment.

Kancera has now confirmed in mouse studies that treatment with its Fractalkine-blocking drugs in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy reduces tumor volume, even in a cancer cell line that is platinum resistant and highly aggressive. The effect can be associated with DNA damage and cancer cell death. In addition, the new studies show that the treatment causes reduced numbers of cells in the microenvironment of the cancer cell that protects the tumor from platinum-based chemotherapy.

Kancera has made the decision to conduct a fully financed phase Ib-study of KAND567 in ovarian cancer patients that have relapsed after platinum-based chemotherapy. The goal is to file a regulatory application during the fourth quarter this year and initiate the study in the first half of 2023. The study will be conducted in collaboration with leading academic hospitals and investigators in the Nordics. Subject to a positive study outcome, Kancera is planning to continue its drug development within cancer using its second-generation drug candidate KAND145. The advantage of starting the clinical development in ovarian cancer with KAND567 and then switch over to KAND145 is that clinical studies can be initiated earlier. In parallel with the clinical studies of KAND567 in ovarian cancer, the company is advancing its development of KAND145, aiming to initiate phase Ia studies during the first half of 2023. In this way, KAND145 will be available for continued clinical studies if the studies with KAND567 confirm the treatment concept. KAND145 has certain product characteristics which make it more suitable for treatment of solid tumors compared to KAND567.

About Kancera AB (publ)
Kancera AB is developing a new class of drugs in the areas of inflammation and cancer, with a main focus on developing drug candidates based on the so-called Fractalkine system. Fractalkine is a natural master regulator that controls with precision immune cells and cancer cells. Kancera is studying its most advanced drug candidate in an ongoing fully financed phase IIa study in inflammation in connection with myocardial infarction. Patient enrollment is expected to be completed before end of 2022. Kancera is also conducting development of its drug candidate KAND145, primarily aimed for oncology indications. Fully financed phase I-studies are planned to start in H1 2023. The stock is traded on the Nasdaq First North Premier Growth Market.

For further information:
Thomas Olin
Chief Executive Officer, Kancera AB
Tel: +46-8-5012 6080

Welcome to visit Kancera’s web page: https://www.kancera.com/en