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Liver Cancer can be defeated: Tekmira Initiates TKM-PLK1 Phase 1 Human Clinical Trial

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), or liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer related deaths worldwide. The new Phase I human clinical trial for the drug TKM-PLK1 that prevents the tumor cell from completing cell division could give a new hope, strength and resilience to the patients are fighting with this fatal disease.

Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation, a leading developer of RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics has started a clinical trial for its lead oncology product, TKM-PLK1. TKM-PLK1 targets polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1), a cell cycle protein involved in tumor cell proliferation and a validated oncology target.

To examine the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of TKM-PLK1, this open label, dose-escalation study, Phase 1 clinical trial will be conducted at three medical centers in the United States.  This study will be conducted on patients with advanced solid tumors. This trial has an accrual goal of 52 patients per trial. This clinical trial will also measure tumor response as well as the pharmacodynamic effects of TKM-PLK1 in patients providing biopsies.

In preclinical animal studies, TKM-PLK1 has been shown to selectively kill cancer cells, while sparing normal cells in healthy tissue.
RNAi therapeutics have the potential to treat a broad number of human diseases and for this medicine the company has received the 2006 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. Tekmira’s LNP technology delivers siRNAs with high efficiency and it is effective in delivering RNAi therapeutics to disease sites in numerous preclinical models.

If you are interested in participating in a clinical trial of liver cancer, you can find trials near you.

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  • JD Kallo

    I believe that credit for the 2006 Nobel Prize for Physiology should be attributed to Andrew Z. Fire, born 1959, US citizen, PhD in Biology 1983, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA. Professor of Pathology and Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA;, and
    Craig C. Mello, born 1960, US citizen, PhD in Biology 1990, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA. Professor of Molecular Medicine and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.

    Regardless, Tekmira is instrumental in the field of RNAi therapeutics. Tekmira (TKMR) focuses on advancing ribonucleic acid (RNA) interference therapeutics and providing its lipid nanoparticle delivery technology to pharmaceutical partners. Its lead internal product candidates include apolipoprotein B (ApoB) stable nucleic acid lipid particles (SNALP) for the treatment of high cholesterol and polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) SNALP for the treatment of cancer. The company has various collaborative and licensing agreements with Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Roche; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company; Hana Biosciences, Inc.; Merck & Co., Inc.; and Aradigm Corporation. Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corp. was formerly a subsidiary of Primary Corp. Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corp. is headquartered in Burnaby, Canada.

    • kimberly

      Hi JD. I am one of the Cure Talk editors. Thanks for your comments and information. Sounds like you are well versed in the field. Feel free to add more helpful information to this and other posts.