Chimeric Therapeutics ready to sting cancer cells with new trials

Chimeric Therapeutics (ASX: CHM) is set to undertake new clinical trials on a cancer treatment that utilises deathstalker scorpion venom as part of its make-up.

The company’s leading CLTX CAR T cell therapy CHM 1101 is ready to treat a new round of patients in a Phase 1B clinical trial in the US.

CHM 1101 utilises Chlorotoxin (CLTX), a 36-amino acid peptide obtained from deathstalker scorpion venom as its tumour targeting domain.

Preclinical studies identified the potential of CHM 1101 to bind in other solid tumours such as melanoma, colorectal cancer and prostate cancer.

Fighting aggressive brain tumours

The latest set of trials will test the safety and efficacy of CHM 1101 on patients with recurrent and/or glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) – a fast-growing and aggressive brain tumour.

According to the US-based National Brain Tumour Society, the five-year survival rate for glioblastoma patients is only 6.8 percent, and the average length of survival for glioblastoma patients is estimated to be only eight months.

Survival rates and mortality statistics have been virtually unchanged for decades.

“We are very excited to be activating the first site in our CHM 1101 Phase 1B clinical trial as it marks a new chapter in the development of CHM 1101,” said Jennifer Chow, chief executive officer and managing director of Chimeric Therapeutics.

“This multi-centre trial will enable us to more rapidly advance the development of CHM 1101 with recruitment across multiple clinical trial sites and also prepare us to accelerate the next phase of development if supported by the clinical results.”

Enrolment for the trial is open at the Sarah Cannon Transplant & Cellular Therapy Program at St. David’s South Austin Medical Centre in Austin, Texas.

Preparing for a Phase A schedule

Between three or six patients will be enrolled and tested at the highest dose for Part A in an ongoing clinical trial at City of Hope Cancer Centre.

Part B of the trial, a dose expansion cohort, will be opened to enrol 12 to 26 additional patients if review if the results prove positive.

The two-part Phase 1B clinical trial is being designed to help design a recommended Phase 2 dose and administration schedule.

Chimeric is aiming to receive and assess results of clinical safety and activity from the clinical program in late 2023. A Part B dose expansion cohort will then lead to the design and initiation of a registration trial, in collaboration with global regulatory feedback.

In a previous to dose cohort, CHM 1101 achieved a safety rate of approximately 70% disease stability in a City of Hope Phase 1A investigator-initiated clinical trial.

Better targeting results

According to Chimeric Therapeutics, the treatment has been shown to more specifically and broadly target GBM cells than other immunotherapy targets through recognition of a receptor complex composed of membrane-bound matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP2).

Importantly the testing identified there was no off-tumour recognition of normal human or murine cells or tissues in preclinical models, consistent with the documented safety of administering CLTX containing agents in humans

There was also significantly improved survival in mice as CHM 1101 demonstrated potent anti-tumour activity in vivo.