Prescient breast cancer trial progresses under a new CEO
Clinical stage oncology company Prescient Therapeutics (ASX:PTX) this week marked two key milestones — the dosing of the last patient in the escalation stage of its Phase Ib breast cancer trial and the appointment of a new CEO.
The Phase Ib trial, being held at the Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care, has been targeting hyperactive Akt — a prominent feature of many human cancers which is correlated with resistance to chemotherapy. PTX’s lead drug candidate, PTX-200, is a selective Akt activation inhibitor which is both anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic.
The last patient in the trial received treatment on the third dose level and had no dose limiting toxicity (DLT). As a result, the recommended Phase II dose (RPTD) for this trial has been determined as 35 mg/m2 PTX-200, together with chemotherapy.
The H Lee Moffitt Cancer Center will join the Montefiore Einstein Center in the Phase Ib expansion cohort and the Phase II trial, which will soon commence recruitment. While the Phase Ib trial targeted women with metastatic and locally advanced HER2 negative breast cancer, the inclusion criteria will be expanded to include those with metastatic breast cancer and prior anthraycline exposure, plus patients with stage IIB-IIIC disease.
The trial will progress under the watchful eye of Steven Yatomi-Clarke, PTX’s new CEO and managing director, who has been a non-executive director of the company since its founding.
Educated at the University of Melbourne, Yatomi-Clarke earned a Bachelor of Science with an Honours Degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, plus a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Economics. With the ability to bridge the divide between science and commerce, he has led a distinguished career in the Australian capital markets with a particular focus on the life sciences sector.
“I’m honoured to accept the invitation to lead PTX,” said Yatomi-Clarke. “The impeccable science behind our programs, the world-class scientific and clinical personnel involved and the fact that our programs are already in several clinical trials with imminent catalysts made it an opportunity that was impossible to resist.”
Prescient Therapeutics (ASX:PTX) shares were trading 3.37% higher at $0.092 as of around 1 pm on Wednesday.
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