ImClone initiates IMC-3G3 Ph I trial

New York, USA-based ImClone Systems says it has commenced patient treatment in a Phase I clinical trial of its fully-human IgG1 monoclonal antibody targeting the platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRa), IMC-3G3, in patients with solid tumors.

This study will be conducted at two clinical sites in the USA, and is designed to establish the safety profile of IMC-3G3 and to evaluate the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the new antibody administered weekly by intravenous infusion. The trial is expected to enroll around 30 to 40 patients.

"Platelet-derived growth factor is among the most important growth factors known to regulate cell growth and division," stated Eric Rowinsky, chief medical officer at ImClone. "One of the receptors for PDGF, PDGFRa, is expressed on a number of human cancers and on accessory cells in tumors that are important for sustaining tumor growth. Recent experimental evidence has shown that PDGFRa plays an important role in regulating VEGF-driven tumor angiogenesis. Therapeutic intervention with a PDGFRa antibody, such as IMC-3G3, may provide another means to blocking tumor growth and angiogenesis in human cancers, and possibly an approach to overcome resistance to current VEGF-targeted therapies," he added.