LTRN: Spotlight on LP-184 & 284
NASDAQ:LTRN
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While the clinical trial for LP-300 is ongoing in never-smoker, non-small cell lung cancer patients, Lantern Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:LTRN) has been busy advancing some of its earlier stage assets including LP-184 and LP-284. These small molecule acylfulvenes are chemically related as LP-284 is the positive enantiomer of LP-184. With respect to LP-184, a notice of patent allowance was issued for the compound in rare pediatric brain cancer and the first patient was dosed in the Phase I advanced solid tumor trial. Regarding LP-284, Lantern presented data in non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas at the Society of Hematologic Oncology Annual Meeting followed shortly after by FDA clearance of the investigational new drug (IND) application for a Phase I in the same indication. In other news, the company announced the expansion of the artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities of the Response Algorithm for Drug Positioning & Rescue (RADR) platform to predict combinations with checkpoint inhibitors.
Lantern continues to build its portfolio leveraging the ability of its RADR platform to rapidly and cost-effectively add new candidates to its pipeline.
LP-184 Notice of Patent Allowance
In mid-August Lantern announced that the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) had issued a notice of allowance regarding Lantern’s method of treatment for Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumor (ATRT) using LP-184. A notice of patent allowance indicates that a patent application has been examined and approved for issuance as a granted patent. Before the patent is issued, fees must be paid and an amendments or formalities must be completed. This usually takes a few months to complete.
LP-184 First Patient Dosed
A late September press release informed investors that the first patient in the LP-184 Phase I study in advanced solid tumors had been dosed. The single arm, multicenter trial is evaluating the safety and tolerability of escalating doses of LP-184 to determine the maximum tolerated dose and recommended Phase II dose. Indications that will be pursued include advanced solid tumors and recurrent high-grade gliomas, including glioblastoma. The study expects to enroll 35 subjects who have relapsed or are refractory to standard therapy. LP-184 will be infused on day 1 and day 8 of a 21-day cycle for a minimum of two cycles. In addition to the primary endpoints of incidence and severity of adverse events, subjects will be monitored for safety, pharmacokinetics and clinical activity. Assuming results are supportive, LP-184 will be advanced in solid tumors by Lantern and in central nervous system (CNS) indications by Starlight Therapeutics under the designator STAR-001.
LP-284 Data Presented
Lantern participated in the Society of Hematologic Oncology Annual Meeting held in Houston, Texas during the week of September 6th, 2023. The title of the associated poster presentation is: Targeting Homologous Recombination Deficiencies in B-Cell Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphomas with the Novel Anti-Tumor Small Molecule LP-284.
The poster addressed the importance of DNA double-strand breaks and noted that failure to repair these breaks due to homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) is a vulnerability that can be exploited. B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (B-NHL) frequently present DNA damage response; however, the ecosystem around this characteristic has not approved any agents targeting HRD. Lantern’s LP-284 may be able to take advantage of the DNA damage in relapsed or refractory lymphomas due to its strong potency in HRD B-NHL.
The poster concluded that at least 10% of B-NHL patients in a Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) study are likely HRD positive and ~91% of these cases may be suitable for treatment with DSB-inducing agents such as LP-284. The evidence in the poster supports Lantern’s clinical development of LP-284 in HRD positive B-NHL patients.
IND Clearance for LP-284 in Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
LP-284 has made substantial strides over the last year with a notice of allowance issued for a composition of matter patent and an orphan drug designation granted for mantle cell lymphoma. In mid-September Lantern announced that the IND had been cleared for a Phase I study in relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas. This includes mantle cell lymphoma, double hit lymphoma and other high-grade B-cell lymphomas. The press release identified 40 to 80 thousand patients with blood cancers that may benefit from the therapy each year. Lantern was able to use its RADR platform to accelerate the development of the drug to clinical stage in less than two and a half years and for $2.7 million. The trial is expected to begin enrollment of patients in 4Q:23
Expansion of RADR to Developing Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors
Lantern’s RADR platform is a broadly applicable tool that uses transcriptome data, genomic data and drug sensitivity data from a wide range of curated sources. Output from the algorithm is able to identify combination strategies, patient response and now combination therapy regimens for immune checkpoint inhibitors. Checkpoint inhibitors have emerged as the largest segment of immuno-oncology and combination therapies are extremely common as evidenced by the multitude of Keynote trials with Merck’s Keytruda being run.
With this backdrop, Lantern has expanded the utility of RADR to address the multiple challenges facing the increased usage of ICIs in cancer therapy. An August press release highlighted the initiatives using RADR to accelerate the clinical development of checkpoint inhibitors and identified additional functionality for testing response.
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1. Source: Lantern Pharma September 2023 Corporate Presentation
2. Source: Lantern Pharma September 2023 Corporate Presentation
