Patrys reports first patient treated in groundbreaking melanoma trial

Melbourne biotech Patrys announced today that it has treated its first patient in the clinical trial of its natural human antibody PAT-SM6 for melanoma.

In addition to melanoma, PAT-SM6 has shown potential as a treatment for several other cancers. It is also the first reported clinical agent shown to target GRP78, a protein found on the surface of cancer cells known to play a key role in cancer cell survival, growth and metastases.

In addition, PAT-SM6 is Patry’s first clinical product made using its new production technology, which the company said is presently the only means of generating yields necessary for natural human antibody development and commercialisation.

The patient was screened at the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) Cancer Centre before being treated at the hospital’s Pain and Anaesthesia Research Clinic, with no safety issues reported.

“We are delighted to have treated the first melanoma patient with PAT-SM6 and we look forward to recruiting additional patients into this trial as soon as possible,” said Patrys Chief Medical Officer and President, Dr Marie Roskrow.

“We believe that the use of cancer-specific natural human antibodies represents a novel approach to the treatment of cancer and Patrys is excited to aggressively pursue this strategy."

Around 10,000 new cases of melanoma are diagnosed every year in Australia, the highest rate of incidences in the world. Globally, the incidences of melanoma are doubling approximately every 15 years.

There is very little currently in the way of effective treatments for the disease, which has a five year survival rate of only 16 percent.