"first-in-class" anti-cancer candidate drug enters clinical Phase 1 trial for the treatment of patients with recurrent brain tumors

Today, Moleculin Biotech(announced the company's "first-in-class" anticancer candidatedrug(entering the clinical phase 1
trialfor the treatment of patients with recurrent brain tumors) ()this small molecular compound, called WP1066, inhibits the activity of the important signaling protein STAT3 in animal models and stimulates the immune responseWP1066 is capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier and will be used in clinical Phase 1 trials to treat patients with recurrent brain tumors such as glioblastomaabout STAT3
STAT3 is a target that has been of interest to oncologyActivated STAT3 supports the survival and reproduction of tumor cells, helps them escape immune responses and transfer to other organs, and also promotes the blood vessel spawning necessary for tumor growthActivated STAT3 not only has the activity of directly supporting tumor growth, but also suppresses the immune system, making this target more important in cancer treatmentThere are many studies that have focused on developing methods to control STAT3 activation, but most of them focus on signaling pathways that target the upstream of STAT3, including growth factors, cytokines, and specific protein kinases (e.g., JAKs)However, STAT3 can be activated by a variety of upstream factors, which results in limited policy effects for targeting upstream factorsabout the chemical skeleton of WP1066
WP1066 is a naturalactive ingredient in propolis, an anticancer drug that directly inhibits STAT3 activity developed by Professor Waldemar Priebe of the MD Anderson Cancer Center at the University of TexasIn preclinical trials, it has shown activity in a variety of tumors, including metastatic melanoma, glioblastoma, head and neck cancer, and moreresearchers believe that WP1066 can not only directly act on tumors, but also indirectly stimulate the immune system and improve the patient's ability to fight tumor development on their ownBecause of the nature of W1066's ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, WP1066 will be used in this clinical Phase 1 trial to treat patients with aggressive brain tumors with poor prognosisIt is expected that 15 patients with recurrent brain tumors will be treated over the next 6-8 monthsClinical Phase 1 trials usually focus on the safety of the therapy and the detection of tolerable doses, while assessing the initial signals of efficacy