NEW YORK – Sermonix Pharmaceuticals said on Wednesday that it has partnered with the Huntsman Cancer Institute to study the selective estrogen receptor modulator lasofoxifene as a potential treatment for ESR1-mutated endometrial cancer.
Specifically, Columbus, Ohio-based Sermonix has partnered with Huntsman's Jay Gertz and his lab, which focuses on steroid hormone signaling in endometrial and breast cancers, to investigate the effects of lasofoxifine on endometrial cancer models with ESR1 mutations.
News of the collaboration comes several months after Sermonix began treating patients in the Phase II ELAINE 2 trial evaluating lasofoxifine plus the CDK 4/6 inhibitor abemaciclib (Eli Lilly's Verzenio) for patients with estrogen receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancers harboring ESR1 mutations. The firm also has partnered with diagnostics firm Tempus to identify eligible patients with ESR1 mutations for that trial.
"Sermonix is committed to exploring ESR1 mutations across gynecological tumor types and examining lasofoxifene's potential to serve the unmet medical needs of more women fighting cancer," Barry Komm, Sermonix CSO, said in a statement. "The unique ESR1 model system is state-of-the-art for this exploration."