LIXTE Biotechnology Holdings announced that Nature has published research validating the company's clinical approach with its proprietary compound LB-100 for ovarian and colorectal cancers. The study, led by Dr. Amir Jazaeri at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, provides scientific support for LIXTE's ongoing clinical trials targeting the protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) pathway.
Key Research Findings
The MD Anderson team studied survival outcomes of Ovarian Clear Cell Carcinoma (OCCC) patients treated with immune checkpoint blockade therapy. Their analysis revealed that patients with tumors containing inactivating mutations in PPP2R1A—the major scaffold subunit of PP2A—had significantly better overall survival compared to patients without these mutations.
"Not only did we identify a new biomarker for improved survival with immunotherapy in ovarian cancer, but we also confirmed the correlation of this biomarker with survival benefit in other cancer types," said Dr. Jazaeri, co-senior author of the Nature article.
The research demonstrated that tumors with PPP2R1A mutations showed increased interferon gamma response pathway activity, which is associated with improved immune checkpoint responses. This mechanism directly relates to LIXTE's therapeutic strategy, as inactivating mutations in PPP2R1A reduce PP2A enzymatic activity—the same target of LB-100.
Clinical Trial Programs
LIXTE is currently investigating LB-100 in combination with checkpoint immunotherapy across two clinical trials. The first trial enrolls OCCC patients and is led by Dr. Jazaeri at MD Anderson Cancer Center, with additional sites at Northwestern University. In this study, LIXTE collaborates with GSK to test LB-100 combined with dostarlimab, an anti-PD1 therapy.
The second trial, conducted at the Netherlands Cancer Institute, involves collaboration with Roche to evaluate LB-100 in combination with atezolizumab, an anti-PDL1 therapy, in colon cancer patients.
"Since PPP2R1A mutations are relatively uncommon, we believe the same benefits may be possible by targeting the PPP2A pathway using drugs, which we currently are evaluating in a clinical trial at MD Anderson," Dr. Jazaeri explained.
Scientific Rationale and Timeline
Bas van der Baan, LIXTE's Chief Scientific Officer, emphasized the broader implications of the research: "This work extends a body of pre-clinical evidence indicating that LB-100 is strongly synergistic with checkpoint immunotherapy in a range of cancer types. We look forward to the first results of our clinical studies in the second half of this year."
LB-100 represents what LIXTE describes as a first-in-class PP2A inhibitor that has demonstrated tolerability in cancer patients at doses associated with anti-cancer activity. The compound is part of the company's focus on "activation lethality," which the company positions as an entirely new field of cancer biology advancing a new treatment paradigm.
Broader Development Portfolio
Beyond the current immunotherapy combination trials, LIXTE has proof-of-concept clinical trials in progress for Ovarian Clear Cell Carcinoma, Metastatic Colon Cancer, and Advanced Soft Tissue Sarcoma. The company's approach is supported by a comprehensive patent portfolio covering its novel therapeutic strategy.
