Two novel biologics are currently being investigated for their potential benefit to multiple myeloma patients in separate ongoing clinical trials at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.
A Phase 2 trial with VEGF Trap will assess the drug's ability to slow tumor growth in patients with multiple myeloma. VEGF Trap is a recombinant human fusion protein that binds VEGF, a key molecule in tumor blood-vessel growth (angiogenesis).
A Phase 1 trial of hLL1 (anti-CD74), a humanized monoclonal antibody that has shown significant growth inhibition of multiple myeloma and B-lymphoma cells in preclinical studies, and whose mechanism of action is associated with inducing apoptosis (cell death), will be studied for safety and dosage.
"These two exciting antibody trials may give new hope to myeloma patients with relapsed and refractory disease," says Dr. Ruben Niesvizky, director of NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell's Multiple Myeloma Program and principal investigator of both studies. He is associate professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College.
NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell and others have shown that myeloma growth is highly dependent on VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) and that blood-vessel growth (angiogenesis) is a fundamental aspect of myeloma tumor growth.
VEGF Trap works by binding VEGF more tightly than the body's own receptors that mediate the angiogenic activity of VEGF.
The drug hLL1 (IMMU-115) represents the first antibody exploiting the high expression of the CD74 molecule (an invariant chain marker associated with HLA antigens) in myeloma cells. This molecule not only plays a role in immunity, but has also been shown to have direct signaling effects in hematopoietic tumors. NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell is the first to begin evaluation of this new antibody as a therapy for any disease.
The studies are open to patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. Fifty patients will be recruited for the VEGF Trap study at centers representing the New York Consortium (NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, Mount Sinai and North Shore University Hospital). Approximately 35 patients will be recruited for the hLL1 study at Weill Cornell, and several other trial sites of the Multiple Myeloma Consortium.