NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Cancer Genetics said today that it has been hired by Effector Therapeutics to provide clinical biomarker services for Effector's lead product candidate, eFT508 — a highly selective oral small molecule inhibitor of MNK1 and MNK2.
The two companies will work together on biomarker discovery and development to aid development of eFT508 as a single agent and in drug combinations. The collaborators plan to look at the activation of circulating immune cells and tumor infiltrating immune cells in patients both before and after treatment with eFT508 across Effector's ongoing clinical program.
The compound is currently in Phase I/II clinical development targeting multiple solid tumors and lymphoma, and was recently granted orphan drug designation by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
"Our collaboration with CGI will allow us to measure several important biomarkers that may reflect eFT508's mechanism of action, as well as identify responsive patient populations," Effector Senior Vice President Kevin Webster said in a statement. "This will be particularly useful for eFT508, which acts both on tumor cell intrinsic signaling and on extrinsic signaling within tumor infiltrating immune cells, leading to induction of anti-tumor immunity in addition to direct anti-tumor activity."