Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp. SNTA announced that the rationale for pursuing a combination of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) inhibitor and immune checkpoint inhibition for cancer therapy was published in the latest issue of Cancer Immunology Research.
We note that Synta’s most advanced candidate – ganetespib – is a novel Hsp90 inhibitor being evaluated for several indications including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), breast cancer, ovarian cancer and acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
As per the published article, preclinical findings hinted that proteasomal degradation of cellular client proteins associated with Hsp90 inhibition may augment antitumor immune response through increased cellular antigen expression and subsequent enhanced T-cell recruitment and tumor-cell recognition. The article also suggests that client proteins affected by Hsp90 inhibition include oncogenes that may drive expression of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), a key immune checkpoint. We note that several companies including Roche RHHBY are developing PD-L1 inhibitors.
Synta stated that the findings were in line with its vivo study results, where ganetespib was found to potentiate the antitumor efficacy of anti-PD-L1 antibody treatment. In these studies, ganetespib in combination with an anti-PD-L1 antibody demonstrated significantly greater antitumor activity than either individual agent, in mouse models of both colon carcinoma and melanoma.
Apart from ganetespib, Synta is working on the development of candidates from its Hsp90 inhibitor drug conjugate (HDC) platform. We expect investor focus to remain on the company’s pipeline.
Synta carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks in the health care sector are Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. VRX and Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. ACOR. While Valeant holds a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Acorda carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
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