CAPTOR THERAPEUTICS SPOLKA AKCYJNA Captor Therapeutics S.A. announced preclinical proof-of-concept data from one of its core pipeline projects designated CT-01, which is focused on the development of TPD therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma. The in vivo proof-of-concept data confirm the potent antitumor activity of two CT-01 lead compounds in a liver cancer mouse xenograft model and demonstrate that oral administration of these two CT-01 candidates results in complete tumor regression in a Hep 3B2.1-7 mouse model of HCC. Strong and comparable efficacy was demonstrated in both therapeutic groups (100mg/kg bid and 300mg/kg bid).
Simultaneously, the data demonstrate the tolerability of both CT-01 candidates, as no treatment-related toxicity was observed. CT-01 is Captor Therapeutics' second pipeline project to produce in vivo data recently, following positive pharmacological results from the CT-03 project. Both sets of in vivo data provide further evidence of the potential of the Company's Optigrade targeted protein degradation platform to discover and develop molecular glue- and bifunctional-type degraders with good druggable properties against high-value targets.
The purpose of Project CT-01 is to develop, based on targeted protein degradation technology, a drug candidate which will stop the progress of hepatocellular carcinoma and potentially offer significant benefits for patients. HCC, a form of liver cancer, constitutes a significant unmet medical need since most patients are diagnosed at a late stage of the disease, and present treatments bring limited benefits in terms of overall survival rate. With ~700,000 new cases each year, HCC constitutes the second most common cause of cancer mortality.
In patients diagnosed early, surgical removal of the tumor remains the only effective therapy. In unresectable HCC, the best reported outcome is the combination of Atezolizumab plus Bevacizumab, where 19.2 months median Overall Survival and 29.8% Overall Response Rate were reported in the IMbrave150 study, indicating that there remains a dramatic need for new treatments.
