Pacylex and Heidelberg Pharma Present Promising Zelenirstat ADC Data at World ADC Conference
Pacylex Pharmaceuticals and Heidelberg Pharma are presenting data showing zelenirstat's potential as a novel antibody drug conjugate payload, demonstrating significantly increased potency against breast and prostate cancer cells compared to oral administration alone.
Pacylex Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Heidelberg Pharma AG are jointly presenting positive data on zelenirstat as an antibody drug conjugate payload at the 16th Annual World ADC conference in San Diego. The collaboration between the clinical-stage companies focuses on testing zelenirstat and PCLX-002 in ADCs, with results showing substantial improvements in cancer cell targeting.
The presented data reveals that zelenirstat functions as a potent payload in multiple different ADCs targeting breast and prostate cancer cell lines. The potency of zelenirstat ADCs against cancer cell lines was 20-fold to more than 1,000-fold higher than zelenirstat alone, representing a significant advancement in targeted cancer therapy. Dr. Michael Weickert, CEO of Pacylex, stated that the company will aggressively explore zelenirstat and other Pacylex molecules as targeted ADC payloads given the compound's novel mechanism of action and clinical safety profile.
The need for new ADC payloads remains critical in oncology development, as only a very limited number of ADC payloads have entered clinical practice. NMT inhibitors like zelenirstat offer a unique mechanism of action that targets multiple processes critical to cancer cell growth and survival. Pacylex's family of NMT inhibitors includes 28 compounds with single-digit nM IC50s against human NMT1, which may serve as effective ADC payloads.
Zelenirstat has demonstrated promising clinical performance as daily oral therapy in Phase 1 patients with refractory/relapsed lymphoma and refractory solid tumors, showing acceptable safety and tolerability with pharmacokinetics consistent with once-daily oral dosing. The FDA has granted zelenirstat both Orphan Drug Designation and Fast Track Designation for AML, with the US Department of Defense supporting initial clinical investigation in AML patients. Additional information about Pacylex's research and development can be found at https://www.pacylex.com.
Heidelberg Pharma brings specialized ADC technology to the collaboration, including their ATAC technology that uses Amanitin from the green death cap mushroom in cancer therapy. The company's biological mechanism of action represents a new therapeutic modality in oncology. More details about Heidelberg Pharma's innovative approaches are available at https://www.heidelberg-pharma.com.
The partnership between these two companies represents an important step in addressing the limited payload options available for antibody drug conjugates, potentially opening new treatment avenues for patients with breast cancer, prostate cancer, and other solid tumors where current ADC options remain limited.