Kazia Therapeutics (ASX:KZA), an Australian oncology-focused biotechnology company, has entered into a collaboration with the US-based Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI).
Kazia said the collaboration will investigate the use of its investigational new drug, paxalisib (formerly GDC-0084), in primary central nervous system (PCNS) lymphoma. This a potential new indication for the drug.
Lymphoma is a blood cancer that originates from lymphocytes. PCNS lymphoma is a specific form of the disease that originates in the brain and central nervous system.
DFCI will initiate an open-label phase two clinical trial of paxalisib in PCNS lymphoma. Kazia said the study is expected to recruit up to 25 patients and take up to 2 years to complete. Kazia said it will provide support including study drug and a financial grant.
DFCI is a Boston-based world-leading cancer treatment and research centre. It is a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School and has been designated a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the US National Cancer Institute.
DFCI participates in as many as 600 clinical trials at any given time and has been an important contributor to the development of many important new cancer therapies.
Kazia CEO, Dr James Garner, said, “This is an exciting new opportunity for the paxalisib program. We are delighted to support the team at Dana-Farber to explore the potential for paxalisib to benefit patients with PCNSL. Dana-Farber is one of the world’s leading centres of excellence in this disease, so we are immensely fortunate to be working with them. We are pleased also to see a new and important target added to the broader paxalisib clinical program, and we look forward to seeing the project commence.”