Nanomedicine standout spotlights first human cancer data

Bind Biosciences has scored some initial blows against cancers in humans, providing data that back up some of the promise of its nanomedicine Bind-014 in preclinical tests.

The Cambridge, MA-based Bind, a Fierce 15 company, showcased some preliminary findings from an ongoing Phase I study involving patients with advanced or metastatic solid tumors. According to Bind, the data show that Bind-014, which is its nanomedicine containing the chemo drug docetaxel, showed anti-tumor activity in 6 out of 17 patients. Importantly, these are patients with aggressive tumors that aren't known to respond to docetaxel alone, according to the company.

Of course, these are only early-stage trial data, and the drug will need to be tested in many more patients before Bind can claim victory, but the company is touting the fact that this is the first time its targeted and programmable meds have shown activity in human cancers. 

"Preclinically … these [nanomedicines] are capable of producing up to a tenfold increase of drug concentration in the tumor and doing that over a much longer period of time" than when the active drug is used alone, Scott Minick, president and CEO of Bind, told FierceBiotech. "So you're really hitting the tumor hard."

Minick expects the company to launch a Phase II study of Bind-014, the company's lead drug, later this year. The company entered this year with a strong financial footing after landing a $47.25 million funding deal involving Russia-based investor RusNano, a Russian government-backed fund that invests in nanotechnology and life sciences companies.

The company showcased its Phase I data at the big American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting.

- here's the company's release