Kazia Therapeutics Ltd (ASX:KZA, NASDAQ:KZIA) will collaborate with QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, one of Australia’s foremost cancer research centres, to explore novel uses of paxalisib in solid tumours.
Paxalisib is a member of a class of drugs known as PI3K inhibitors. The direct anticancer effects of PI3K inhibitors are well demonstrated and five therapies have been approved by the US FDA to date.
The oncology-focused drug development company’s research project is led by Professor Sudha Rao, a leading expert in transcriptional biology, particularly as it applies to the function of the immune system in cancer.
Professor Rao’s laboratory works closely with pharmaceutical companies and with clinicians to explore innovative approaches to cancer treatment.
The collaboration between KZA and QIMT will be an ongoing venture designed to build on initial research that has already led to the filing of a patent, including the use of paxalisib as an immune modulator in the treatment of diseases such as breast cancer.
“Professor Rao’s team are working at the leading edge of cancer research, and we are enormously grateful for their work on paxalisib,” KZA CEO Dr James Garner said.
“An important part of our recent strategy for the drug has been to expand its field of opportunity outside of cancers of the brain.
"This work, which has primarily focused on breast cancer, but which has applicability to other solid tumours, builds on some promising data we previously shared which demonstrated the potential of paxalisib in melanoma.
"We look forward to working with the QIMR Berghofer team to take this research to the next stage.”
About the research
Professor Rao’s research identifies an entirely separate effect of PI3K inhibition: as a modulator of the immune microenvironment within and around the tumour.
Administration of PI3K inhibitors such as paxalisib, at doses and frequencies different to those conventionally used, appears to activate the immune system in the tumour, making it more susceptive to immunotherapy.
The research opens up an important opportunity for paxalisib in combination with drugs such as Keytruda® (pembrolizumab, Merck) and Opdivo® (nivolumab, Bristol Myers Squibb) for the treatment of diseases such as breast cancer and lung cancer. If proven effective in clinical trials, such combinations may have the potential to improve outcomes for patients.
Getting results
Results are expected to be published in 1H CY2023, and discussions are ongoing regarding potential translation to clinical trials in CY2023.
“These are very promising data,” Professor Rao said.
“In treatment-resistant pre-clinical models of breast cancer, paxalisib has shown encouraging results in inhibiting both the primary tumour burden and metastasis by reinvigorating the immune system within the tumour microenvironment.
"We look forward to continuing our research and hopefully seeing this work lead to a clinical trial in due course.”