On Thursday, H.C. Wainwright maintained its Buy rating and $15.00 price target for Lisata Therapeutics, Inc (NASDAQ: LSTA), following the company's presentation at the 2024 Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation Annual Conference.
At the conference, Lisata showcased positive preclinical results for its lead clinical candidate, certepetide, which is being developed as a potential treatment for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), a type of liver cancer.
The preclinical study findings indicated that certepetide, when used alongside standard of care (SoC) chemotherapy and immunotherapy, notably improved survival, lessened morbidity, and reduced mortality risk by 76% in a mouse model of ICC.
Notably, mice treated with the combination of certepetide and SoC had a median overall survival of 26 days, which was significantly higher than the survival rates in the control group (9 days), the certepetide-only group (12 days), and the SoC-only group (22 days).
The research also suggested that certepetide may enhance the body's immune response to ICC by facilitating immune cell access to tumor tissues. This is believed to be achieved through the agent's targeting of the neuropilin 1 receptor, which plays a role in ICC-related fibrosis and blood vessel function. These preclinical results are expected to support the ongoing clinical trials of certepetide.
Lisata Therapeutics is currently evaluating certepetide in the Phase 2a BOLSTER study, which is assessing the drug in combination with SoC as a first-line treatment for cholangiocarcinoma.
Additionally, based on recommendations from investigators, a new arm of the study will explore the use of certepetide combined with SoC specifically for intraheptic cholangiocarcinoma. The company anticipates providing updates on the trial throughout the second half of 2024, with results expected for both arms in 2025.
In other recent news, Lisata Therapeutics has made significant strides in the development of its cancer drug, certepetide. The company reported promising preclinical data, indicating that certepetide could improve survival rates in mice with a type of liver cancer.
The drug candidate, when combined with standard chemotherapy and immunotherapy, showed a significant increase in survival and a 76% decrease in the risk of death in the mouse model.
Lisata Therapeutics is currently conducting a Phase 2a clinical trial, known as the BOLSTER trial, to evaluate certepetide's effectiveness. Furthermore, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) granted a pediatric waiver for Lisata's lead investigational product in pancreatic cancer, potentially accelerating the drug's path to market registration in Europe.
In addition to these developments, Lisata Therapeutics reported positive interim results from the ASCEND trial in pancreatic cancer during its first quarter of 2024 earnings call. The company is conducting nearly a dozen global clinical trials for certepetide, targeting various solid tumor cancers. The top-line data from the ASCEND trial, expected in Q4 2024, is crucial for the development program and plans.
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