Cytopia Limited, a privately-held biotechnology firm from Australia, has recently announced that its anti-cancer drug CYT997 has begun a Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. Cytopia also announced that along with an upcoming Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme, they are presently conducting a feasibility analysis for a Phase II study of the compound for mesothelioma patients who have failed Alimta therapy—the only FDA-approved therapy for the treatment of pleural mesothelioma.

CYT997 is part of a new class of anti-cancer drugs known as vascular disrupting agents (VDAs), which target and attempt to disrupt the relationship between tumors and blood vessels. CYT997 is a VDA that possesses multiple mechanisms of action. The first mechanism of action involves shutting down the blood vessels that deliver nutrients and oxygen to the tumor, while the second mechanism directs and engages in general cytotoxic activities.

The compound that CYT997 is based on was discovered by researchers from Cytopia in 2003 and in 2005 the FDA accepted Cytopia’s application to begin a Phase I trial. The success of Phase I trials has led Cytopia to begin the Phase II trials introduced in this article.

Labels: mesothelioma