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A Trial Master File (TMF) is a collection of all essential trial documentation that enables effective monitoring, data integrity, and compliance throughout the lifecycle of a clinical trial. Learn about best practices and approaches for Trial Master File management.
Continue readingThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved StrataGraft for the treatment of adult patients with thermal burns containing intact dermal elements (remaining deep skin layers) for which surgical intervention is clinically indicated (also referred to as deep partial thickness burns).
Continue readingThe National Institutes of Health will fund a large, randomized, placebo‑controlled Phase 3 clinical trial to test several existing prescription and over-the-counter medications for people to self-administer to treat symptoms of COVID-19.
Continue readingIntranasal administration of OMV-Spike protected against challenge with SARS-CoV-2 has significant advantages over injectables
Continue readingThe past year has seen the rapid global spread of SARS-CoV-2—the virus responsible for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. While non-pharmaceutical interventions have been the mainstay of epidemic control to date, vaccination is likely to constitute the definitive, long-term defence strategy against SARS-CoV-2 morbidity, mortality, and transmission, offering the best hope of a return to normal life.
Continue readingCriterium’s Academic Breast Cancer Consortium (ABRCC) is comprised of 15 renowned academic and community sites in North America, conducting translational research in Breast Cancer studies for major pharmaceutical companies who are working on the most current clinical trials for advanced treatments of breast cancer. While 2020 was a year dominated by COVID-19 news and tragedy, breast cancer research and breakthroughs can’t wait for COVID to “go away” – and research in this area continues on full-speed. Our ABRCC researchers reflect on 2020 and look ahead to 2021 with renewed hope.
Continue readingFor November’s Lung Cancer Awareness Month, Heather Smith and Melissa Turner share the stories of their cancer journeys. The women took very different routes to the CU Cancer Center and the world-renowned lung cancer care of Ross Camidge, MD. On this episode of the CU Anschutz 360 podcast, learn why they love everything about Dr. Camidge’s practice, especially the fact that he makes them laugh.
Continue readingFindings from a CHOP/Penn Medicine study could lead to treatment for patients with lung disease, including acute respiratory distress syndrome due to COVID-19.
Continue readingMoleculin Announces Positive Trial Data with 100% Safe Delivery of p-STAT3 Inhibitor and Efficacy in Majority of Patients
Preliminary results from phase 1 clinical trial of WP1220 for treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (“CTCL”); supports phase 2 study.
“For years, p-STAT3 (the activated form of STAT3) has been considered an ‘undruggable’ target because of the difficulty of reaching and affecting this cell-signaling protein,” commented Walter Klemp, Moleculin’s Chairman and CEO. “Some consider it to be a master regulator of cancer-related gene transcription, so we believe the ability to show a therapeutic effect from a p-STAT3 inhibitor could be considered a significant breakthrough in cancer research.”
Results: There were 6 patients screened, and 5 patients enrolled between March and July 2019. Three are evaluable for both safety and efficacy after completing 3 months of treatment, with 2 ongoing and evaluable for safety. The only AE reported potentially related to study drug in one of the five patients was a mild contact dermatitis not requiring treatment. CAILS scores on index lesions were significantly decreased in the first 3 patients, who were stages IA, IB, and IIB, respectively, at entry. A composite score was obtained for all treated lesions for each patient, and percent changes were calculated from baseline to Day 84. There was a median reduction of 70.8% (range 62.1%-76.2%) for the 3 patients. Improvement was noted as early as 7 days after initiation of treatment, and maintenance of improvement was also shown at follow up (1 month after discontinuation, as per protocol). The fourth patient has also shown an initial reduction in the composite CAILS score after 56 days (26.7%), and is continuing on treatment. Evaluations of the biopsy samples for histopathology and status of p-STAT3 in treated lesions are in progress.
Conclusions: WP1220, an inhibitor of p-STAT3, has shown demonstrable safety and significant efficacy after at least 3 months of topical treatment in 3 patients with progressive MF, with a continuing trend towards improvement in additional patients currently in treatment. This is the first demonstration that inhibition of the STAT3 activation pathway with topical therapy has impacted the course of this disease. The trial is continuing, and updated and more comprehensive data from this study as well as assessment of STAT3 phosphorylation in treated lesions will be reported.
“This is the first topical delivery of a p-STAT3 inhibitor that we know of for CTCL, where there is a significant unmet need for improved treatment of the lesions associated with this potentially deadly skin cancer. But, we believe the significance of this data goes well beyond CTCL, as it speaks to the targeting of p-STAT3 as a general strategy. We are excited to share these preliminary results in association with ASH, especially because we believe showing activity here could have exciting implications for the future of STAT3 inhibitors in general. Although this is a relatively small pilot study, we believe the results justify an expansion to a larger patient population in a Phase 2 clinical trial,” added Dr. Sandra Silberman, CMO at Moleculin.
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There are approximately 7,000 rare diseases affecting an estimated 30 million people in the United States. Many
of these diseases are serious or life-threatening and it is estimated that half affect children. Unfortunately, most rare diseases still do not have approved therapies. In 2018 we saw a record number of novel drugs and biologics approved for rare diseases. In particular, there were 35 novel drugs and biologics approved in 2018 with orphan drug designation. This is the highest number since the passage of the Orphan Drug Act in 1983.
These approvals included drugs and biologics utilizing programs to facilitate and expedite development and review of medical products to address unmet medical need. Among the many new orphan therapies in 2018, the FDA approved the first drug to treat patients with a rare, inherited form of rickets, and the first orally-administered drug to treat Fabry disease. The FDA also approved a new biologic for patients when reversal of anticoagulation is needed due to life-threatening or uncontrolled bleeding.
The FDA will host a public meeting on April 29, 2019: ”Patient Perspectives of the Impact of Rare Diseases: Bridging the Commonalities.” This provides the opportunity to hear patients’ and caregivers’ perspectives on how rare diseases impact their daily lives and to assess commonalities that may help the Agency and medical product developers further understand and advance the development of treatments for rare diseases. While the differences between rare diseases are critically important, it is also important to assess commonalities to synergize product development in rare diseases.
Additionally the grant review process will be enhanced by providing grant reviewers with patient perspectives gleaned from listening sessions with patients about rare diseases. These enhancements will build on new priorities in grant review. Specifically, to address the unmet needs for rare diseases, the Office of Orphan Products has made meaningful changes to both funding focus and review process for the Clinical Trial and Natural History grants programs. They are focusing on studies of rare diseases with unmet needs that use efficient and innovative trial designs, such as adaptive and seamless trial designs, use of modeling and simulations, incorporation of real world data, and basket and umbrella trials studying multiple rare diseases/products. Applicants are asked to incorporate patient input into their research proposals.
Reprint by permission of FDA (Online Public Domain); Image courtesy of PixaBay Free License CC0
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