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 demonstrates zelenirstat's potential to address the critical need for new ADC payloads in cancer treatment, with only a very limited number of ADC payloads having entered clinical practice to date.
The presented research shows zelenirstat functioning as a potent payload in multiple different ADCs targeting breast and prostate cancer cell lines. According to the data, the potency of zelenirstat ADCs against cancer cell lines was 20-fold to more than 1,000-fold higher than zelenirstat alone. This significant improvement in potency represents a major advancement in ADC technology and could expand treatment options for solid tumors.
Zelenirstat is a first-in-class myristoylation inhibitor currently in clinical development as an oral therapy. The drug has demonstrated acceptable safety and tolerability in Phase 1 studies involving patients with relapsed/refractory lymphoma and refractory solid tumors. Its novel mechanism of action targets multiple processes critical to cancer cell growth and survival through N-myristoyltransferase inhibition.
Dr. Michael Weickert, CEO of Pacylex, stated that given zelenirstat's novel mechanism of action and clinical safety profile, the company will aggressively explore it and other Pacylex molecules as targeted ADC payloads. The family of NMT inhibitors in development by Pacylex includes 28 compounds with single-digit nM IC50s against human NMT1, which may serve as good ADC payload candidates.
The research presented includes results from multiple breast and prostate cancer cell lines using different ADC targeting molecules and linkers. This broad testing approach demonstrates the versatility of zelenirstat as a payload across different cancer types and ADC configurations. For additional information about Pacylex's research and development programs, visit https://www.pacylex.com.
Heidelberg Pharma brings complementary expertise to the collaboration, particularly in ADC technology development. The company is known for developing novel drugs based on its ADC technologies for targeted cancer treatment and was the first to use the compound Amanitin from the green death cap mushroom in cancer therapy. More information about Heidelberg Pharma's technologies is available at https://www.heidelberg-pharma.com.
The development of new ADC payloads like zelenirstat addresses a significant limitation in current cancer treatment options. With its unique mechanism of action and demonstrated clinical safety, zelenirstat represents a promising addition to the limited arsenal of ADC payloads available to oncologists. The collaboration between Pacylex and Heidelberg Pharma combines expertise in NMT inhibition with advanced ADC technology, potentially accelerating the development of more effective cancer treatments.
