TriSalus Life Sciences and the University of Texas today announced a collaboration to evaluate the treatment of solid tumors.
The Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and TriSalus will collaborate on treatments for tumors of the pancreas and liver by integrating interventional delivery of SD-101, an investigational toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) agonist, in combination with checkpoint inhibition immunotherapy, according to a news release.
Under the collaboration, the center and TriSalus will evaluate the administration of SD-101 intravascularly using the latter’s FDA-cleared, proprietary pressure-enabled drug delivery (PEDD) technology to treat liver and pancreatic solid tumors.
The initial study is slated to focus on liver metastases from uveal melanoma, which will be followed by studies on metastatic disease from pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and colorectal cancer. The collaboration is also developing programs for hepatocellular carcinoma and locally advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, with TriSalus providing the funding and technology for the studies.
TriSalus’ PEDD delivers immuno-oncology therapeutics directly into the vasculature of solid tumors. The investigational SD-101 has already been evaluated in Phase 2 studies in advanced cutaneous melanoma and head and neck cancer. The planned studies under the collaboration are set to deliver SD-101 with PEDD, utilizing a technique not previously available through standard delivery approaches.
“We’re pleased to collaborate with MD Anderson in pursuit of our collective goal to improve outcomes for patients with tumors of the liver and pancreas. The goal of these studies is to augment the potential of existing therapies through novel drug delivery technology and to investigate the strategic modulation of immune microenvironments with investigational candidate SD-101,” TriSalus CMO Dr. Steven Katz said in the release. “Collaborations such as this are an integral part of our development strategy to evaluate treatments to help overcome the challenges inherent to solid tumors and enable a broader population of cancer patients to benefit from immunotherapy.”
“Tumors in the pancreas and liver are notoriously difficult to treat effectively, and these patients need new therapeutic options. Our collaboration with TriSalus provides a unique opportunity to evaluate immunotherapy in combination with a novel delivery approach,” added MD Anderson associate professor of melanoma medical oncology Dr. Sapna Patel. “We look forward to our work together to advance new treatments aimed at improving clinical outcomes and the lives of our patients.”
