SAN DIEGO, CA, USA I February 4, 2016 I Ignyta, Inc. (Nasdaq: RXDX), a precision oncology biotechnology company, today announced that Cancer Research UK has initiated a new, investigator-sponsored Phase 1/1b clinical trial of a combination of paclitaxel with taladegib – the company’s novel, orally available, hedgehog/smoothened inhibitor – in patients with platinum-resistant, recurrent ovarian cancer or recurrent, advanced solid tumors. This clinical trial is an open label dose-escalation and expansion study designed to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D), tolerability, pharmacokinetics and preliminary clinical activity of the combination of taladegib and weekly paclitaxel in this patient population. The lead investigator will be Dr. Rosalind Glasspool of the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, Glasgow, Scotland.

“We are excited that Cancer Research UK has expanded the clinical investigation of taladegib through the initiation of this combination study,” said Jonathan Lim, M.D., Chairman and CEO of Ignyta. “We look forward to supporting Cancer Research UK in this trial, and to evaluating the data, including potentially identifying the impact of this therapeutic intervention on the hedgehog pathway at both the mRNA and protein levels and correlating these changes with the patients’ disease and potential clinical response.”

About Taladegib

Taladegib, which Ignyta exclusively licensed from Eli Lilly and Company in November 2015, is a potent, orally bioavailable small molecule hedgehog/smoothened antagonist that has achieved clinical proof-of-concept and a recommended Phase 2 dose based on results from prior clinical studies. Ignyta believes taladegib represents a potential first-in-class hedgehog/smoothened inhibitor for second-line treatment of locally advanced or metastatic basal cell carcinoma, as well as a potential best-in-class hedgehog/smoothened inhibitor for first-line treatment of these patients. In addition, Ignyta believes taladegib alone or in combination has the potential to treat selected patients with solid tumors outside of basal cell carcinoma that are driven by hedgehog pathway alterations. Ignyta also granted back to Lilly exclusive rights for Lilly to develop and commercialize taladegib-containing products in combination with certain Lilly compounds.

About Ignyta, Inc.

At Ignyta, we fight cancer – a formidable opponent that manifests as thousands of different molecularly defined diseases and takes away millions of lives globally, every year. In this fight, our big hairy audacious goal (BHAG) is not just to shrink tumors but to eradicate residual disease – the source of cancer relapse and recurrence – in precisely defined patient populations by 2030. We will work tirelessly to achieve this BHAG by pursuing an integrated therapeutic (Rx) and companion diagnostic (Dx) strategy for treating cancer patients. Our Rx efforts are focused on discovering, in-licensing or acquiring, then developing and commercializing, molecularly targeted therapies; cancer stem cell targeted therapies; novel chemotherapies/cell cycle inhibitors; and cancer immunotherapies – four therapeutic cornerstones that, sequentially or in combination, are foundational for eradicating residual disease. Our Dx efforts aim to pair these product candidates with biomarker-based companion diagnostics that are designed to precisely identify, at the molecular level, the patients who are most likely to benefit from the therapies we develop. We believe that only through this integrated Rx/Dx approach can we succeed in this fight. For more information, please visit: www.ignyta.com.

SOURCE: Ignyta