ChemoCentryx, Inc, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on autoimmune diseases, inflammatory disorders and cancer, has begun enrolling patients with non-resectable pancreatic cancer in a Phase Ib clinical trial with CCX872, an orally administered inhibitor of the chemokine receptor known as CCR2.

"Despite recent advancements in treating pancreatic cancer, tumors undermine inflammatory and effector immune responses through suppressor cells thought to be controlled by the chemokine receptor known as CCR2," said ChemoCentryx CEO Thomas J. Schall.

"Our belief is that by blocking CCR2 with the specific receptor inhibitor CCX872, we can eliminate the CCR2-guided immune suppressor cells in the tumor microenvironment and consequently promote a more effective anti-tumor response," Schall said.

The open-label, multi-center trial will evaluate the safety and efficacy of orally administered CCX872 plus Folfiirinod (5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, irinotecan and oxaliplatin) in up to 54 patients, who will initially be treated for 12 weeks.

Those who achieve at least stable disease, as measured by Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors, or RECIST 1.1, will be eligible to continue treatment unless disease progression occurs. The primary efficacy measurement will be progression-free survival.

The company plans to report initial data from the trial by year's end.