Press releases
CellCentric raises $26 million to take first-in- class p300/CBP inhibitor into the clinic
15 May 2018
CellCentric has raised $26 million in private financing to fund clinical testing of its first-in-class oncology drug candidate CCS1477. The funds will be used to test the novel p300/CBP inhibitor in late stage, treatment-resistant prostate cancer (up to Phase IIb). Recent data shared at AACR also highlighted the potential of CCS1477 in a range of cancers, and these will be explored additionally. The further funds come from one of CellCentric’s existing investors, Morningside Venture Investments.
Dr Will West, Chairman & CEO of CellCentric, commented: “There is a large and growing population of late-stage prostate cancer patients who have inherent or acquired resistance to current second-line anti-androgen therapies. CCS1477 has shown promise in addressing this. It is positioned after or in combination with
Dr Jason Dinges, CellCentric Board Director and Morningside representative, added: “Oncology product development is highly competitive. There are few genuine first-in-class new drug opportunities which have a large but specific patient population to treat. We are also encouraged by new data demonstrating that p300/CBP inhibition has significant potential for other areas beyond prostate cancer. Morningside is delighted to support the CellCentric team with their continued momentum.”
The potential market for a new agent for late stage prostate cancer is highly significant, with over 80,000 potential patients each year. The new financing will fund development of CCS1477 in this indication up to Phase IIb clinical testing.
CCS1477 is a potent, selective,
Reducing AR-SV
Data presented at the recent AACR meeting showed CCS1477 has a profound duration of effect on tumour inhibition after drug dosing
As well as pursuing CCS1477’s prostate cancer potential, the new funds will also allow CellCentric to explore tolerability and initial efficacy of CCS1477 in haematological cancers. Tumours with p300 or CBP mutations, notably bladder and small cell lung cancer, will also be explored.
CellCentric’s clinical programme in prostate cancer is due to start early summer 2018, initially at the Royal Marsden Hospital in the UK before expanding nationally and then to the US.
About CellCentric
CellCentric is a biotechnology company focused on a first-in-class p300/CBP bromodomain inhibitor drug, CCS1477. The company has investigated over 50 potential epigenetic-related drug targets, before focusing on the twin histone
CCS1477 has relevance to multiple cancer types, and notably for late-stage, castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). It addresses the large and growing population of patients that have tumours that have inherent or acquired resistance to
CellCentric is a privately held business, with Morningside Venture Investments as its lead investor. CCS1477’s progress has also benefited from awards from Innovate UK (BioMedical Catalyst) and the Prostate Cancer Foundation. The company maintains active collaborations with multiple research centres in Europe and the US.