Medannex Initiates phase 1b clinical trial of novel Anti-Annexin-A1 Therapy

Medannex Ltd announced today that the first patient has been treated with its first-in-class immunomodulatory compound, MDX-124, in a Phase 1b study in patients with advanced cancer.

Medannex is pioneering the targeting of annexin-A1 to treat cancers and autoimmune conditions, and MDX-124 is the first medicine of its kind to enter clinical trials. Annexin-A1 is overexpressed in a wide range of tumours, driving cancer cell growth and migration. Extensive pre-clinical data in support of the first-in-human study demonstrate that MDX-124 effectively blocks the action of annexin-A1.

The modular clinical study (‘ATTAINMENT’) will establish the most effective dose via rapid dose escalation, in participants with locally advanced, unresectable or metastatic solid malignancies. The efficacy of MDX-124 will then be evaluated in front-line therapy, in combination with standard-of-care cancer treatments. MDX-124 also has considerable potential for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, and Medannex plans further clinical trials in various autoimmune disorders.

The Chief Investigator, Professor Daniel Palmer of the Liverpool Clinical Trial Centre, said: ‘We are delighted to be leading this first-in-human study, which has been designed to allow us to gather a great deal of information in a relatively short period of time. Annexin-A1 may prove a very significant clinical target, and blocking its activity with MDX-124 could represent a completely new and exciting way to treat cancer.’

Patients are also being enrolled by Professor Sarah Blagden at the Early Phase Trials Unit, University of Oxford and Dr. Stefan Symeonides at the Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre.

Medannex CEO Ian Abercrombie said: ‘This is a major milestone in the evolution of Medannex, and represents the culmination of a great deal of dedicated work by many people. MDX-124 is the first in a new generation of immunotherapeutic approaches and we’re confident it will bring significant benefits to cancer patients and people living with autoimmune diseases. We thank our scientific partners and the regulatory authorities for their guidance in developing an innovative study design and we are very grateful to the participants volunteering to enrol in the study.’
 

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