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Biotherapeutics and research reagent developer Avacta Group said that it was planning to submit an application early in 2020 to conduct a clinical study in patients with selected solid tumours.
Avacta's tumour microenvironment activated drug conjugates, or TMAC, were a ground-breaking new form of cancer immunotherapy, co-invented with Tufts University Medical School, the company said.
Avacta said that it was now in a position to test a TMAC linker in humans, a major de-risking milestone for its TMAC programme, well ahead of its original plans.
'What is so attractive about Avacta's Affimer TMAC programme is that it offers a way to combine chemotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors without exposing the whole body to the same level of the chemo-toxin,' chief executive Alastair Smith said.
'Whilst immunotherapies offer great promise for cancer patients, it is well established that only a relatively small sub-group of patients see durable responses to single immune checkpoint therapies.'
'Avacta is directly addressing this urgent clinical need with its novel Affimer TMAC and bispecific programmes.'
At 3:06pm: (LON:AVCT) Avacta Group PLC share price was +2p at 31.75p