On January 7, 2025 BerGenBio ASA (OSE: BGBIO), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing the novel, selective AXL kinase inhibitor bemcentinib for lung cancer reported that the first patient has been included in a clinical trial sponsored by the Mays Cancer Center at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) (Press release, BerGenBio, JAN 7, 2025, View Source [SID1234649446]). The study is led by Josephine A. Taverna, MD, a thoracic oncologist at the Mays Cancer Center and Associate Professor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at UT Health San Antonio.
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"Dr. Taverna’s research has shown that AXL and JAK-STAT3 work in tandem to transmit signals promoting tumor growth and metastasis in advanced lung cancer. We are pleased to see this research advancing into clinical application and believe this study aligns closely with BerGenBio’s strategic focus on addressing the significant unmet needs of lung cancer patients, including first-line Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer patients with mutations in the STK11 gene," said Olav Hellebø, Chief Executive Officer of BerGenBio.
The trial is designed to study BerGenBio’s bemcentinib in combination with pacritinib, which is a JAK2 inhibitor indicated for treatment of the bone marrow disorder myelofibrosis in patients with platelet counts below 50 x 109/L. It works by blocking certain growth factors and cytokines. Pacritinib is marketed in the United States as VONJO and owned by Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB (Sobi) (STO: SOBI), a specialized international biopharmaceutical company. Bemcentinib is a first-in-class, selective, oral once-a-day inhibitor of AXL receptor tyrosine kinase, a promising therapeutic target for serious diseases.
The study will include patients with lung adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer in the United States, accounting for approximately 40% of all lung cancers. The study is funded by a grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).