On January 3, 2017 Inspyr Therapeutics (OTCQB:NSPXD), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a novel prodrug therapeutic for the treatment of cancer, reported the initiation of development programs focused on Mipsagargin combination therapies (Press release, Inspyr Therapeutics, JAN 3, 2017, View Source [SID1234517252]). Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo! To evaluate the potential of Mipsagargin in combination with Nexavar, Inspyr plans to conduct a preclinical study in liver PDX tumor models that express PSMA, the target of Mipsagargin. The tumor models selected express different levels of PSMA, including one that is resistant to Nexavar. The Company expects to share initial results of this study in the second quarter of 2017.
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Concurrently, the Company is finalizing the design of a clinical study to examine the potential benefits of Mipsagargin in combination with Nexavar in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), or liver cancer.
"Combining Mipsagargin and Nexavar, each targeting the tumor vasculature through different mechanisms of action, may be synergistic and deliver enhanced anti-tumor activity, potentially resulting in an improved therapy option for patients with liver cancer," said Dr. Ron Shazer, Inspyr’s Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer. "We expect this non-clinical study to be the first of several planned studies examining the potential of Mipsagargin across different types of cancer as an effective combination agent addressing unmet needs for oncology patients."
About Mipsagargin
Mipsagargin is a novel clinical stage thapsigargin-based, PSMA-activated prodrug that consists of an analog of thapsigargin coupled to a masking peptide which inhibits its activity until proteolytic cleavage at the tumor site. Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA) is expressed on tumor vasculature endothelial cells in a wide variety of solid tumors. Thapsigargin inhibits the sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum calcium adenosine triphosphatase (SERCA) pump which is essential for cell viability. Mipsagargin is being developed for the treatment of multiple cancers.