On January 10, 2024 Bio-Path Holdings, Inc., (NASDAQ:BPTH), a biotechnology company leveraging its proprietary DNAbilize antisense RNAi nanoparticle technology to develop a portfolio of targeted nucleic acid cancer drugs, reported completion of the first dose cohort of the dose escalation portion of its Phase 1 clinical trial of BP1002 evaluating the ability of BP1002, a liposomal Bcl-2 nanoparticle antisense, for the treatment of refractory/relapsed lymphoma and refractory/relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients (Press release, Bio-Path Holdings, JAN 10, 2024, View Source [SID1234639180]).
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"We are delighted to safely complete this first dose cohort and to advance BP1002 into the next cohort as it brings us one step closer to providing access to this very promising treatment for the most vulnerable patients who have limited therapeutic options," said Peter Nielsen, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bio-Path Holdings. "We look forward to advancing this study into higher dose cohorts with the expectation that increased levels of BP1002 will prove even more efficacious and continue its safety profile in these sickest of sick patients."
BP1002 targets the protein Bcl-2, which is responsible for driving cell survival in up to 60% of all cancers. High expression of Bcl-2 has been correlated with adverse prognosis for patients diagnosed with relapsed, aggressive non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Preclinical studies have shown BP1002 to be a potent inhibitor against the Bcl-2 target, and Bio-Path believes that its benign safety profile should enable BP1002 combination therapy with approved agents.
In the Phase 1 trial, refractory/relapsed CLL patients, including those who have failed or relapsed from venetoclax-based frontline therapy, as well as refractory/relapsed lymphoma patients, will be treated with BP1002. Venetoclax targets the Bcl-2 protein based on neutralizing the protein’s BH3 domain and is a frontline treatment for CLL patients and newly diagnosed, elderly acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. With the exception of some patients treated with allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation, patients treated with venetoclax-based therapies frequently relapse, primarily due to BH3 domain mutations over time. Bio-Path’s BP1002 also targets the Bcl-2 protein, but its activity is based on blocking the Bcl-2 messenger RNA and the expression of the Bcl-2 protein, and not the BH3 domain. As a result, Bio-Path believes that BP1002 could provide an alternative treatment for venetoclax refractory/relapsed CLL patients. Bio-Path also believes there may be AML patients who fail or relapse from venetoclax-based frontline treatment for the same reason, potentially representing an additional opportunity for Bio-Path to treat those patients with BP1002.
The Phase 1 clinical trial is being conducted at several leading cancer centers, including the Georgia Cancer Center, The University of Texas Southwest and New York Medical College. Locke Bryan, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine at the Georgia Cancer Center, is serving as National Principal Investigator for the Phase 1 trial. A total of six evaluable patients will be treated with BP1002 monotherapy in a standard 3+3 design, with a starting dose of 20 mg/m2. The approved treatment cycle is two doses per week over four weeks, resulting in eight doses administered over 28 days. Enrollment is now open for patients for the second dose cohort of 40 mg/m2. The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the safety and tolerability of escalating doses of BP1002.