For patients with cancers harboring certain genetic defects, the first-in-class targeted therapy VVD-133214 (formerly known as RO7589831), which targets the DNA repair enzyme Werner helicase, demonstrated promising durable antitumor activity and was generally well-tolerated in a Phase 1 trial. The trial was led by Timothy Yap, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., professor of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics and vice president and head of clinical development in the Therapeutics Discovery division.
“VVD-133214 appears generally safe and shows promising antitumor efficacy,” Yap said. “These are encouraging clinical data, especially because this is a patient population that currently has very limited treatment options. This also further validates Werner helicase as an actionable target, which is exciting because many cancers are highly dependent on it for survival.”