On January 28, 2020 Syros Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SYRS), a leader in the development of medicines that control the expression of genes, reported that the first patient has been dosed in the Phase 1 clinical trial of SY-5609, its highly selective and potent oral cyclin-dependent kinase 7 (CDK7) inhibitor (Press release, Syros Pharmaceuticals, JAN 28, 2020, View Source [SID1234553620]). The trial is enrolling patients with advanced breast, colorectal, lung or ovarian cancer, or with solid tumors of any histology that harbor Rb pathway alterations.
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"SY-5609 represents a promising new approach for treating a number of cancers that have eluded treatment with other targeted approaches," said Kyriakos P. Papadopoulos, M.D., Co-Director of Clinical Research at South Texas Accelerated Research Therapeutics (START), and a clinical investigator in the trial. "We are always looking for opportunities to accelerate the development of new treatments to improve patients’ lives and give them real hope against cancer. SY-5609 has demonstrated compelling preclinical activity in a range of cancer models, and we are excited to further investigate it in this Phase 1 study."
SY-5609 has shown substantial anti-tumor activity, including complete regressions, in multiple preclinical models of solid tumors, including breast, colorectal, lung and ovarian cancers, at doses below the maximum tolerated dose (MTD). In preclinical studies of breast, lung and ovarian cancers, deeper and more sustained responses were associated with the presence of Rb pathway alterations. SY-5609 has also shown anti-tumor activity in combination with fulvestrant in treatment-resistant models of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, including those resistant to both fulvestrant and a CDK4/6 inhibitor.
"SY-5609 is a potentially transformative targeted approach for a range of difficult-to-treat cancers," said David A. Roth, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Syros. "CDK7 inhibition attacks two fundamental processes in cancer: increased expression of cancer-driving genes, and uncontrolled cell cycle progression. Based on this dual mechanism and the exquisite selectivity and preclinical potency of SY-5609, we believe it could provide a profound benefit for patients in dire need of new therapies. We have designed our Phase 1 trial to move efficiently through dose escalation and to increase the chances of seeing early signals of clinical activity by focusing on patient populations we believe are most likely to respond."
The Phase 1 trial is a multi-center, open-label, dose-escalation trial that is expected to enroll approximately 60 patients with advanced breast, colorectal, lung or ovarian cancer, or with solid tumors of any histology that harbor Rb pathway alterations. The primary objectives of the dose escalation are to assess the safety and tolerability of escalating doses of SY-5609, with the goal of establishing an MTD. Additional objectives include assessments of anti-tumor activity, pharmacokinetics (PK), pharmacodynamics (PD) and potential predictive biomarkers, including Rb pathway alterations. In a future expansion portion of the Phase 1 trial, multiple cohorts are planned to further evaluate the safety and anti-tumor activity of SY-5609 as both a single agent and in combination with other therapies.
Syros expects to report initial safety, tolerability and PK/PD data in the fourth quarter of 2020 and additional dose-escalation data, including clinical activity, in mid-2021.