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LONDON and PHILADELPHIA - Avacta Therapeutics (AIM:AVCT), a developer of peptide drug conjugates, has presented promising preclinical data for its pre|CISION® platform candidates at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting. The event took place in Chicago, IL, where the company showcased its second pre|CISION® candidate, FAP-EXd (AVA6103), which targets the tumor microenvironment with a focus on minimizing systemic toxicity.
The pre|CISION® platform is designed to harness fibroblast activation protein-alpha (FAPα), a protease overexpressed in many solid tumors, as a means to activate anti-tumor drugs directly at the tumor site. This targeted approach aims to increase efficacy while reducing the side effects typically associated with chemotherapy.
Michelle Morrow, CSO of Avacta Therapeutics, emphasized the platform’s potential for delivering potent drugs with tumor selectivity and a novel sustained release mechanism. Morrow’s comments came as the company revealed that AVA6103, a pre|CISION® peptide drug conjugate, has shown significant tumor growth inhibition and durable complete responses in therapy-resistant preclinical models.
The compound utilizes the topoisomerase I inhibitor exatecan, which, when activated at the tumor site, displays a prolonged exposure time and the capacity to affect surrounding FAP-negative cancer cells through its bystander effect. The investigational new drug (IND) submission for FAP-EXd is expected in December 2025, with a first-in-human study slated for early 2026.
In addition to AVA6103, Avacta’s collaboration with Tempus has yielded insights into the consistent expression of FAP across different lines of therapy and tumor samples, further supporting the broad application of the pre|CISION® platform.
This news is based on a press release statement from Avacta Therapeutics and was presented at the AACR Annual Meeting. The company’s developments are being closely watched as they move towards clinical trials, which could potentially introduce new treatments for patients with solid tumors.
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