Antisoma's AS1409 to be assessed in renal cancer and melanoma

UK-based biopharmaceutical firm Antisoma says that upcoming Phase I trials of its developmental anticancer agent AS1409 will seek to enroll patients with both renal cancer and melanoma. The company explained that the product, which is a fusion protein that combines cytokine interleukine-12 with an antibody that binds to the Extra Domain B containing fibronectin protein, is suitable for assessment in both indications as tumors caused by both diseases express high levels of the drug's target.

AS1409 is designed to deliver IL-12 specifically to tumor targets, and has demonstrated antitumor efficacy against prostate, colorectal and skin cancer in xenograft animal model studies, in which it was required at a lower dosage than non-targeted IL-12 therapy.

Glyn Edwards, the firm's chief executive, said: "AS1409 is an exciting prospect and we're pleased to have taken another step closer to the clinic with a rational choice of cancer indications for our forthcoming trial."