- Imugene (IMU) announces the clearance of the first cohort in its phase one MAST trial
- The trial is evaluating the safety of its novel cancer-killing virus, VAXINIA)
- As a result, Imugene is now recruiting its second cohort to test each arm through intratumoral and intravenous (IV) routes
- Running in parallel to this study is IMU’s fourth cohort testing each arm of the company’s monotherapy dose escalation phase
- Overall, Imugene’s MAST study aims to recruit up to 100 patients across approximately 10 trial sites in the United States and Australia
- IMU shares last traded at 6.6 cents
Imugene (IMU) has announced the clearance of the first cohort in its phase one MAST (metastatic advanced solid tumours) trial, evaluating the safety of its novel cancer-killing virus CF33-hNIS (VAXINIA).
The cohort endured an intratumoral (IT) arm dose, where VAXINIA was administered in combination with Pembrolizumab in a low dose to patients who had undergone at least two prior lines of standard-of-care treatment.
As a result, Imugene is now recruiting a second cohort, which will test each arm through intratumoral and intravenous (IV) routes.
In parallel, the company has announced the appointment of Dr Paul Woodard as its Chief Medical Officer.
Dr Woodard previously served as the Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Immune-Onc Therapeutics, where he played a pivotal role in clinical oversight and the submission of novel and investigational new drugs.
Imugene’s oncolytic virus was developed at the City of Hope Hospital in California and has shown promise in shrinking colon, lung, breast, ovarian, and pancreatic cancer tumours in preclinical laboratory and animal models.
Running concurrently with this study is IMU’s fourth cohort, which tests each arm of the company’s monotherapy dose escalation phase.
“We’ve now seen a very significant number of patients dosed with VAXINIA as part of the MAST study, with those patients suffering as a result of a variety of tumour types,” IMU Managing Director and CEO Leslie Chong said.
Overall, Imugene’s MAST study aims to recruit up to 100 patients across approximately 10 trial sites in the United States and Australia.
The trial commenced in May 2022 and is anticipated to run for 24 months, funded from existing budgets and resources.
IMU shares last traded at 6.6 cents.