After a series of early studies, Roche decided in 2018 not to take emactuzumab any further, stating at the time that it was a “business decision” and not related to the therapy’s safety or efficacy.

Celleron, a spin-out of Oxford University, said emactuzumab has shown “encouraging efficacy” for diffuse tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TGCT), a rare disease characterized by the proliferation of macrophages in the synovial tissue in the joint and tendon sheath. Even though it rarely metastasizes, Celleron said TGCT is locally aggressive and disabling, noting that relapse rates from surgery – the standard therapy – are high.

Nick La Thangue, Celleron’s CEO, commented: “Celleron’s commitment to developing transformative and novel therapies will ultimately allow emactuzumab to be brought to patients suffering from TGCT, which remains a very debilitating disease with limited clinical options.”

As well as the former Roche asset, Celleron has a global licensing deal with AstraZeneca for dual mechanism histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor CXD101.  Celleron is using its CancerNav predictive biomarker platform to identify tumors most likely to respond to the drug. The UK firm has also initiated trials in China with Nuance Biotech to test CXD 101 in patients suffering from peripheral T-cell lymphoma, rare type of blood cancer.

A second investigational drug in Celeron’s pipeline is CXD 201, a proprietary topoisomerase inhibitor derived from the homocamptothecin family, which the biopharma says exhibits a unique chemical composition and improved pharmacological properties. It is assessing CXD 201 in colorectal cancer patients.

Author: Elaine Burridge, Freelance Journalist