Yesterday Onxeo announced its first preclinical proof-of-concept data with AsiDNA demonstrating the potential to be administrated intravenously. AsiDNA, a first-in-class DNA repair inhibitor, has already been tested in a Phase I trial with melanoma patients and showed promising results in terms of safety and initial signs of efficacy administered via local injection.
After Onxeo acquired the drug in February 2016, the company repositioned the development and now seeking to establish a pre-clinical dossier to start human trials with intravenous injection, which would vastly increase the addressable indications. Yesterday’s announcement was the first substantial step in this direction, as Onxeo showed that AsiDNA was effective alone or in combination with carboplatin in murine models of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC).
AsiDNA acts as a decoy that attracts DNA repair enzymes, leaving actual damaged DNA in cancerous cells (eg spontaneous or after treatment with chemotherapy) unrepaired, leading to cell death. Onxeo confirmed that this is achieved by hyper-activating two key DNA repair proteins, DNA-PK and PARP, which are then ‘distracted’ from repairing the actual DNA damage. From the data released so far, AsiDNA standalone significantly decreased tumour growth in the TNBC model and improved survival.
Onxeo also tested the drug in combination with the classic neoadjuvant (ie given before surgery) chemotherapy, carboplatin. Despite AsiDNA being administered in lower doses than in the standalone trial, the combination with carboplatin outperformed other arms (untreated, low dose AsiDNA alone or carboplatin alone).
To read the entire report please click on the pdf file below: