On December 17, 2024 Expert Systems, a leader in AI-powered drug discovery, reported the promising clinical results of oral once-daily lonitoclax, a next-generation BCL-2 inhibitor developed in collaboration with Lomond Therapeutics (Press release, Lomond Therapeutics, DEC 17, 2024, View Source [SID1234649172]). The results of the single ascending dose Phase 1 studies demonstrate important advantages of lonitoclax over venetoclax and venetoclax-like molecules for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and potentially other oncology indications.
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Lonitoclax demonstrated no significant safety signals at exposures sufficient to achieve robust inhibition of BCL-2, as measured via ex vivo activation of caspase in primary CLL cells. Importantly, the co-administration of itraconazole—a potent CYP 3A4 inhibitor—did not significantly alter lonitoclax exposures. These results highlight a key differentiation from venetoclax and similar molecules, which require complex dose titration and ritonavir co-administration, and emphasize important advantages in safety, tolerability, and feasibility of outpatient treatment.
"Lonitoclax’s promising Phase 1 results highlight the strength of our AI-enabled platform in driving the development of next-generation therapies," said Bill Farley, Chief Business Officer at Expert Systems. "Our platform de-risks early-stage drug development by reducing time and costs while delivering data-driven insights to optimize safety and efficacy. We are proud to support Lomond Therapeutics in advancing this innovative BCL-2 inhibitor, which has the potential to transform the treatment landscape for CLL and AML patients."
About Lonitoclax
Lonitoclax is a next generation BCL-2 inhibitor that has demonstrated best-in-class molecular pharmacology with the highest selectivity against BCL2, a key pro-survival protein that is overexpressed in many cancers. To mitigate the hematologic and immune toxicities observed with venetoclax, lonitoclax was designed with a unique binding mode to improve selectivity for BCL-2 over BCL-XL. In addition, a shorter half-life and reduced P4503A4 inhibition properties were built into the molecule to mitigate tumor lysis syndrome and drug accumulation risk, respectively. Lonitoclax has demonstrated monotherapy activity in pre-clinical models, as well as synergistic activity when combined with azacitidine, FLT3 inhibitors, and menin inhibitors in AML xenograft models. Unlike venetoclax, lonitoclax had minimal immunosuppressive activity on B cells, CD8 T cells, and NK cells in preclinical models.