Pipeline

Salarius began enrolling for a Phase 1 trial in Ewing sarcoma in 2018. Ewing sarcoma is a devastating pediatric illness and represents a major unmet clinical need. Currently, chemotherapy, radiation and tumor resection surgery are the only options for patients, and in many cases the tumors reoccur or is in too delicate of a location to risk surgery. There is a 70-90% five-year mortality rate for patients whose tumors recur after treatment or who are initially diagnosed with metastatic disease. Translocations involving the EWS gene are the sole driver for over 85% of Ewing sarcoma, and the EWS protein must complex with LSD1 to induce a cancer phenotype. Seclidemstat blocks this LSD1-EWS interaction to reverse cancer pathology resulting in cures in animal models.

Salarius is currently enrolling patients for a phase 1 trial in advanced solid tumors. This trial is enrolling patients with advanced solid tumors who have progressed on prior therapy, for example patients with prostate, breast, ovarian, lung and other sarcomas. Depending on the cancer, LSD1 can associate with a myriad of proteins to drive tumor growth. For instance, in prostate cancer LSD1 can associate with the androgen receptor to activate genes that promote cancer cell growth and metastasis. Seclidemstat is able to block these interactions and reduce tumor burden.

The Salarius LSD1 technology was licensed from the University of Utah Huntsman Cancer Institute where it was developed in the laboratory of Dr. Sunil Sharma.