Could the Future Hold a Less Toxic Cancer Treatment in the Form of a Tablet?

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The following post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga.

What if the future of cancer treatment could be found in the form of an oral tablet?

Currently, most treatments for cancers, including sarcomas, consist of cytotoxic chemotherapy, surgery, and/or radiation. An oncology-focused biotechnology company, Salarius Pharmaceuticals SLRX is looking to change the treatment paradigm by developing a less cytotoxic cancer treatment that is given as an oral tablet. Salarius’ treatment should not have the harsh side effects associated with chemotherapy, including hair loss and long-term nerve damage. 

Salarius’ drug is an epigenetic or regulatory targeted therapy. Epigenetics is concerned with affecting gene expression, i.e, how genes are activated and deactivated. Since some cancers are caused by gene dysregulation, Salarius’s drug therapy hopes to restore correct gene regulation and inhibit cancer growth. Specifically, Salarius’s drug acts by inhibiting lysine-specific histone demethylase (LSD1), a validated epigenetic target for cancer therapy.

A Specialized Approach

Currently, there are several large companies developing  LSD1 inhibitors, but Salarius Pharmaceuticals’ lead compound, seclidemstat, has a different mechanism of action compared to many of the LSD1 inhibitors in development. 

Seclidemstat has a reversible binding mechanism that should result in reduced hematological toxicity. Additionally, Salarius believes seclidemstat is able to inhibit more of LSD1’s scaffolding function which results in a stronger inhibition of LSD1’s cancer-promoting effects. Essentially, seclidemstat could result in more powerful reduction of cancer cell growth, thereby decreasing the tumor burden for several cancer types, and becoming a promising treatment option.

In 2018, Salarius began enrolling patients in a Phase 1/2 trial for Ewing Sarcoma, a rare pediatric cancer that occurs in bone or soft tissue. Currently, there are no targeted therapies approved for this cancer. Chemotherapy, radiation, and tumor resection surgeries are a patient’s best bet, yet unfortunately, there is still around a 70% to 90% 5-year mortality rate for those who fail to respond to treatment or relapse.

Often multiple side effects come with these treatment options, which can be difficult for an adult patient, let alone a child to face. Seclidemstat has a promising solution: their drug inhibits the LSD1 and EWS interaction to reverse cancer-promoting gene expression and inhibits tumor growth in animal models. Earlier this year, Salarius provided a clinical trial update and reported that seclidemstat had a manageable safety profile with early signs of anti-tumor activity.

Clinical Trial Activity Is Promising

Seclidemstat is currently in clinical development for treating Ewing Sarcoma, with an Orphan Drug designation, Pediatric Rare Disease Designation, and Fast Track Designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Based on preclinical and clinical data, Salarius recently expanded the trial to include additional sarcomas of interest. The trial is being conducted at top-tier hospitals and healthcare centers, including major clinics like the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, MD Anderson, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Sarcoma Oncology Center, the Moffitt Cancer Center, the Fox Chase Cancer Center, the Cleveland Clinic, Oncology Consultants of Houston and others. Interim data readouts are expected in 2021 to mid-2022.

Seclidemstat also has the potential for treating various other cancer types. For instance, MD Anderson recently announced an investigator initiated trial studying seclidemstat in hematological cancers. In addition, Salarius hopes to study seclidemstat in other solid tumors in combination with immunotherapy or other targeted anti-cancer agents. And, with $33 million in cash as of June 30, 2021, it not only has the expertise but the financial ability to fund its clinical trials — and build a pipeline supporting company growth — for the future.

Salarius Pharmaceuticals is dedicated to improving the lives of those suffering from cancer, specifically children who have their entire lives ahead of them. Seclidemstat may just have a big chance to make a big difference in the lives of many in their fight.
The preceding post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga. Although the piece is not and should not be construed as editorial content, the sponsored content team works to ensure that any and all information contained within is true and accurate to the best of their knowledge and research. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice.