Faron Pharmaceuticals Oy has announced that its co-founders, Dr. Markku Jalkanen and Dr. Sirpa Jalkanen, have been selected as finalists in the 'SMEs' category of the European Inventor Award 2024. The nomination recognizes their research in developing bexmarilimab, an investigational immunotherapy aimed at optimizing clinical outcomes in cancer treatment. Bexmarilimab is designed to target the Clever-1 receptor present on macrophages, activating anti-tumor immunity in hematological and solid tumor microenvironments to overcome resistance and provide better patient outcomes.
The ongoing BEXMAB trial is evaluating the safety and efficacy of bexmarilimab in combination with standard of care in patients with hypomethylating agents (HMAs)-refractory or relapsed myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Dr. Markku Jalkanen expressed his honor at the nomination and highlighted the significant progress of the bexmarilimab development program, emphasizing the potential of bexmarilimab to change the treatment paradigm and improve the quality of life for those suffering from aggressive hematological cancers.
The European Inventor Award, launched by the European Patent Office, recognizes individuals who transform their ideas into solutions to address significant challenges. The winners will be announced at the online award ceremony on July 9, 2024. Additionally, the public can vote for their favorite inventor for the Popular Prize, which goes to the shortlisted inventor with the most votes.
Faron Pharmaceuticals Oy is a global, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel immunotherapies to tackle cancers. Its lead asset, bexmarilimab, is a novel anti-Clever-1 humanized antibody being investigated in Phase I/II clinical trials as a potential therapy for patients with hematological cancers in combination with other standard treatments and as a monotherapy in last-line solid cancers.
The BEXMAB study is an open-label Phase 1/2 clinical trial investigating bexmarilimab in combination with standard of care (SoC) in the aggressive hematological malignancies of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). The primary objective is to determine the safety and tolerability of bexmarilimab in combination with SoC (azacitidine) treatment. The study aims to directly target Clever-1 to limit the replication capacity of cancer cells, increase antigen presentation, ignite an immune response, and allow current treatments to be more effective.