Kezar Life Sciences (NASDAQ:KZR) dosed the first patient in a Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating KZR-261, a broad-spectrum, anti-tumor agent that acts through direct interaction and inhibition of the Sec61 translocon.
“We believe KZR-261 has a differentiated therapeutic profile, which could translate into broad potential across the oncology landscape,” John Fowler, co-founder and CEO of Kezar, said in a statement. KZR-261 is the first clinical candidate from Kezar’s protein secretion platform.
The open-label, multicenter, Phase 1 study is being conducted in two parts, dose escalation and dose expansion, and is designed to evaluate safety and tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics to determine doses for Phase 2 studies, as well as to explore the preliminary anti-tumor activity of KZR-261 in subjects with locally advanced or metastatic disease for whom no therapeutics are currently available.
