On March 27, 2023 Midatech Pharma PLC (AIM: MTPH.L; Nasdaq: MTP), a drug delivery technology company focused on improving the bio-delivery and bio-distribution of medicines, reported a new research programme coded MTD217 focusing on developing new therapeutic options for metastatic cancers with high unmet needs (Press release, Midatech Pharma, MAR 27, 2023, View Source [SID1234629385]).
Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:
Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing
Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!
Background
Many cancers exhibit high levels of metabolic plasticity, i.e. the ability to switch between energy-generating pathways in response to cellular stresses1, such as those caused by chemotherapy. Highly proliferative cancers frequently use the aerobic glycolysis pathway, known as "the Warburg effect", to generate energy2. Oxidative Phosphorylation (OXPHOS) is another critical mechanism that enables a variety of fuel sources to be used to generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a molecule present in cells that provides energy for metabolic processes. When under induced stress, cancer cells switch away from aerobic glycolysis and significantly increase reliance on the alternative OXPHOS pathway. Inhibiting the OXPHOS pathway represents a potential means of targeting both primary and metastatic tumour lesions in patients. OXPHOS can be inhibited by a range of small molecule therapeutics, however systemic administration of these generally causes undesirable toxic effects in healthy cells3.
MTD217
Midatech’s MTD217 programme explores simultaneous inhibition of key metabolic pathways, including the Warburg effect and OXPHOS. The research is centred around a number of new water-soluble drug formulations that can be easily infused or injected simultaneously, or sequentially, directly into the cancer microenvironment, disrupting metabolic functions in a highly localised manner, thus limiting off-target toxicity. The Company has already been able to demonstrate up to a six-fold synergistic effect of administering its formulation of panobinostat, known as MTX110, with an OXPHOS inhibitor in vitro with three patient-derived cells lines. On the back of those data, Midatech has established new patent positions to protect these combination formulations.
The Company’s initial target is treatment of leptomeningeal disease, a lethal complication in which metastatic cancer cells invade the cerebrospinal fluid and central nervous system4. In collaboration with several large academic centres, Midatech is now accelerating preclinical studies to generate proof of concept data in this setting that can support a future clinical trial application.