$220M in new funding will advance pivotal trials of inobrodib for myeloma
Oral therapy is part of triple-combo regimen for hard-to-treat cancer
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Cellcentric has raised $220 million in financing to support two clinical trials testing its potentially first-in-class oral therapy inobrodib in people with hard-to-treat multiple myeloma.
“We are thrilled to have the support of top-tier investors who believe in inobrodib’s potential to address a critical need in multiple myeloma,” Will West, PhD, CEO of Cellcentric, said in a company press release announcing the oversubscribed financing round. The company noted “participation from a strong syndicate of new and existing investors,” including BrightEdge, a fund of the American Cancer Society.
Myeloma is a type of blood cancer marked by the uncontrolled growth of plasma cells, a type of immune cell. These cancerous cells grow and disrupt the activity of normal cells in the bone marrow, the spongy material inside the bone where new blood cells are made. The disease usually affects more than one part of the marrow, hence the term multiple myeloma.
The developer’s investigational therapy works by inhibiting two proteins: p300 and CREB-binding protein, known as CBP. Cancer cells utilize these proteins to help them grow and survive, so by blocking their activity, inobrodib aims to limit cancer growth and encourage cancer cell death.
Cellcentric is developing inobrodib as part of a triple-combination regimen called InoPd, which combines the therapy with two approved myeloma treatments, pomalidomide (sold as Pomalyst and generics) and dexamethasone.
“Inobrodib is a new modality and a potential fresh option for patients that is orally administered,” West said, noting that there is “a significant and growing unmet need” for treatments that can help myeloma patients who have not responded to other available therapies.
Trial now testing how many patients respond to inobrodib combo
Cellcentric earlier this year launched a Phase 2 clinical trial called DOMMINO-1 (NCT07096778) to test the InoPd combo in adults with multiple myeloma that is relapsed or refractory — meaning the cancer has failed to respond to prior treatment, or has come back after initially responding. All participants in the trial will receive InoPd, with the main goal of evaluating how many respond (i.e., their cancer burden decreases).
The DOMMINO-1 trial is continuing to recruit participants at sites in the U.S. and U.K.
In an earlier Phase 1/2a clinical trial (NCT04068597), most patients given the same InoPD regimen responded, according to Cellcentric.
“In combination with pomalidomide and dexamethasone as InoPd, we have demonstrated deep responses in heavily pretreated relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma patients,” West said.
Cellcentric is also planning to launch a Phase 3 clinical trial, dubbed DOMMINO-2, to test the InoPd combo in myeloma patients. The new funding will also help support the launch of that trial, planned for later this year.
What stands out with inobrodib is the consistency of clinical activity alongside a manageable safety profile in a heavily pretreated population.
In addition to supporting both regitstrational-enabling trials, the funding will also help advance development of inobrodib in other regimens and settings, according to Cellcentric. Registrational-enabling clinical trials are studies designed to produce the evidence a company needs to ask health authorities to approve a new treatment.
“Fueled by this funding, we are well positioned to complete registration enabling studies for the all-oral triplet and advance our progress toward delivering a transformative treatment,” West said.
The new funding was led by Venrock Healthcare Capital Partners, with participation from a range of other investment firms and pharmaceutical companies.
“What stands out with inobrodib is the consistency of clinical activity alongside a manageable safety profile in a heavily pretreated population,” said Ken Greenberg, MD, a partner at Venrock. “An oral drug with a novel, additive approach could play an important role in later-line therapy, as well as across the treatment landscape in multiple myeloma. We are excited to support its advancement into pivotal studies.”
