Lipum strengthens its protection of the drug candidate SOL-116 through a patent application for inflammation-driven cancer
Lipum has developed the drug candidate SOL-116 with the aim of treating inflammatory diseases in a new way. This is based on the discovery of a unique target Bile Salt-Stimulated Lipase (BSSL). Preclinical results showing that it is possible to inhibit inflammation by blocking BSSL. Currently, a phase 1 clinical study is ongoing where patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have been enrolled.
Lipum has chosen rheumatoid arthritis as the first indication for studying SOL-116 in inflammatory diseases, and besides that, the company is prioritizing studies on the mechanism of action and the investigation of additional indications that can be treated with SOL-116. In recent years it has been published that patients with breast cancer and having elevated levels of BSSL mRNA in the tumor tissues, also have a poorer prognosis and shorter survival time.
Within this framework, we have shown that blocking BSSL with SOL-116 inhibits the growth of cancer cells in cancers driven by inflammation. This further strengthens our view that the target protein may be involved in several inflammatory disorders in addition to RA. It is well known that many cancers are driven by inflammatory mechanisms. To enable future exploitation of SOL-116 for the treatment of cancer, Lipum has applied for intellectual property protection and this international patent application will become public on 14 April 2024.
“The findings about BSSL being another significant mediator in cancer supports our view that it is an important target for treatment of inflammation. It is utmost encouraging that we have an antibody targeting this protein and yet another example about SOL-116´s potential usability in inflammatory disorders. I look forward to our continued development within this area says Ola Sandborgh, CEO of Lipum”