GERMANTOWN, Md., April 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Deka Biosciences (“Deka”), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing novel cytokine therapies to treat cancer and inflammatory diseases, announced today that the first subject has been dosed in a Phase 1 clinical trial of DK2¹⁰ (EGFR) at NEXT Oncology in Fairfax, Virginia. The Phase 1, first-in-human, multicenter clinical study seeks to characterize the safety, potential efficacy and evaluate possible biomarkers of response to DK2¹⁰ (EGFR) in patients with advanced solid cancer(s) who are expressing epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) (NCT05704985).

“We are beyond thrilled to begin the clinical trial of DK2¹⁰ (EGFR), marking our first program to enter clinical development,” said John Mumm, Ph.D., President and CEO of Deka. “Importantly, we anticipate that the results of the study will confirm the clinical safety, pharmacokinetics, exploratory efficacy and correlative biomarker responses to our first Diakine^TM, establishing a solid foundation for the expanded use of this treatment in cancer patients.”

“This novel agent holds significant potential for patients and we are excited to be at the forefront of this groundbreaking platform that places great emphasis on patient comfort and convenience via a self-administered treatment,” shared Dr. Spira, CEO and Clinical Director at NEXT Oncology in Virginia.

DK2¹⁰ (EGFR) is the first of several experimental therapeutics developed as part of Deka’s platform of molecules, which combines the cytokines full strength IL-2 and a high affinity IL-10. While IL-2 is known to be toxic, when coupled with IL-10, toxicity is not only reduced but its potency is increased, thereby creating a more tolerable and effective treatment for patients. It is the first of several experimental therapeutics in Deka’s platform of molecules which are being developed to treat both cancer and inflammatory diseases. These therapeutics, known as Diakines^TM, involve coupling two cytokines together onto a single chain variable fragment (scFv) targeting system to enhance their precision in targeting specific tissues. Furthermore, the scFv scaffold used in the Diakine^TM platform also improves efficacy, safety and manufacturability of each treatment.

Read the full press release here.