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Avacta Group PLC on Wednesday celebrated strong results from its latest cancer-targeting study, which showed the release of a chemotherapy to the tumour as intended. Avacta is a Wetherby, England-based life sciences company that develops targeted oncology drugs and diagnostics. AVA6000, a tumour activated form of doxorubicin, is the firm’s lead preCision programme. Currently in phase 1 studies, the preCision platform modifies chemotherapy to be activated only in the tumour tissue, reducing systemic exposure and toxicity. This is achieved by harnessing an enzyme called FAP - or fibroblast activation protein. On Wednesday, Avacta said that pre-clinical, clinical and pharmacokinetic data from the phase 1a dose escalation study of AVA6000 showed that the platform targeted the release of a chemotherapy to the tumour as intended. Further, it said that AVA6000 had ‘significantly improved’ the safety and tolerability of doxorubicin, and had also shown ‘encouraging preliminary clinical signs of anti-tumour activity’. Looking forward, next steps include optimising the patient population, dose and schedule in order to increase the efficacy and tolerability of doxorubicin treatment via preCision targeting. Cohort 7, the final cohort in the three-weekly dose escalation safety study of AVA6000, has completed enrolment and is ongoing, while a fortnightly dosing study to optimise the selection of the Phase 2 dose is now screening patients in the US. ‘Targeting potent therapies to the tumour, while limiting the systemic toxicity that often characterises these therapies, is one of the holy grails of cancer drug development,’ said Chief Executive Officer Alastair Smith. ‘The data we released today show that the preCision modification is cleaved specifically by FAP, and not by other human enzymes, and this mechanism can be used to target the activation of a chemotherapy to the tumour micro-environment, significantly reducing the systemic exposure and improving the safety of the drug.’ Avacta shares were trading 2.7% lower at 131.40 pence each in London on Wednesday morning. Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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