Lisata Therapeutics and Valo Therapeutics Announce Preclinical Research Collaboration
“Building on previous preclinical work demonstrating certepetide's synergistic effects with immunotherapies, we aim to uncover additional benefits by combining certepetide with ValoTx's PeptiCRAd immunotherapy,” stated Kristen K. Buck, M.D., Executive Vice President of Research and Development and Chief Medical Officer of Lisata. “Given the complementary mechanisms of action of these therapies, including certepetide’s ability to modify the tumor microenvironment making it less immunosuppressive, we believe this approach could ultimately lead to improved patient outcomes by addressing the challenges facing current melanoma treatments, including resistance, recurrence, and metastasis.”
“We are thrilled to partner with Lisata Therapeutics on this promising research collaboration,” stated Sari Pesonen, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer of ValoTx. “The combination of our proprietary PeptiCRAd and Lisata's innovative certepetide tumor targeting and penetration technology has the potential to unlock new frontiers in cancer immunotherapy. Together, we hope to accelerate the development of more effective treatments for patients in desperate need, ultimately translating our preclinical findings into life-changing therapies for cancer patients.”
Melanoma is a serious and potentially life-threatening form of skin cancer. According to the World Health Organization, melanoma is amongst the leading causes of cancer-related deaths globally, responsible for approximately 58,000 deaths annually. Current standard-of-care includes checkpoint inhibitor therapies with an overall response rate of 35-60%. Despite advancements in treatment, there remains a significant unmet need for effective therapies, particularly for patients with advanced or metastatic disease.
Certepetide is an investigational drug designed to selectively activate the C-end rule active transport mechanism in a tumor specific manner, resulting in systemically co-administered anti-cancer agents more efficiently penetrating and accumulating in the tumor. Additionally, certepetide has been shown to modify the tumor microenvironment, diminishing its immunosuppressive nature and inhibiting the metastatic cascade. Lisata and its collaborators have amassed significant non-clinical data demonstrating enhanced delivery of various existing and emerging anti-cancer therapies, including chemotherapies, immunotherapies and RNA-based therapeutics.
To date, certepetide has also demonstrated favorable safety, tolerability, and clinical activity in completed and ongoing clinical trials designed to demonstrate its ability to enhance the effectiveness of standard-of-care chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer as well as the combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy in a variety of solid tumors. Certepetide has been awarded Fast Track designation (U.S.) and Orphan Drug Designation for pancreatic cancer (U.S. and E.U.), as well as Orphan Drug Designation for glioma, osteosarcoma, and cholangiocarcinoma (U.S.). Additionally, certepetide has received Rare Pediatric Disease Designation for osteosarcoma (U.S.).
