NEW YORK – Vincerx Pharma on Thursday said it has treated the first leukemia patient with the antibody-drug conjugate VIP943 in a Phase I trial.
In the trial, Vincerx will evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and preliminary efficacy of VIP943 as treatment for patients with CD123-positive relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia, B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and myelodysplastic syndrome.
To be eligible for the trial, patients' cancers must have evidence of CD123 expression via local laboratory testing. VIP943 is designed to bind to CD123, and once it does, the agent is cleaved by a protein inside the cancer cell called legumain. This releases the cytotoxic payload, a KSP inhibitor, which is designed to kill the cancer cell. According to Palo Alto, California-based Vincerx, this mechanism reduces nonspecific release of the cytotoxic payload and minimizes the side effects associated with harming healthy cells.
The firm has demonstrated in preclinical studies that VIP943 can reduce tumor burden and avoid cytokine release syndrome, which is a common adverse event with CD123-targeting drugs, according to Vincerx. The company anticipates reporting preliminary safety and pharmacology data in 2024.
Vincerx also has several other targeted agents in Phase I clinical trials, including the CDK9 inhibitor VIP152, which the firm is evaluating for patients with MYC-driven leukemia and lymphoma.