RE:RE:RE:Interesting Context from Jones ResearchMarsolais has been clear about "patient selection criteria" being modified but not sure what combination of tumor type, pre-treatment or resistance catagories or sort1 expressions either individually or by using those tissue sample traits where specific sub-types of specific tumor types showed differnet expression levels. I'm guessing the latter will be what informs them --they will only select 1 or 2 cancers and only the highest sub-type of each with better baseline characteristics and see what happens with 3 or 4 different dosing/timing schedules to assess that. It would pretty conclusively show if the proof of concept works I'd think. It's certainly their best shot at showing POC. Use that data to propose a more specific test in next round with a partner or, if results are decent, on their own after raising some funds. If good enough, you might see the major shareholders willing to partake in ATM at ok prices.
I would point out that safety and tolerability is back on the plus side, which seemed questionable right after the pause. In comparing to the Cybrexa P1 that got them $40-50mil partnership, they tested 24 patients of which only 14 were evaluable. They had 3 with DLT issues, spesis and neutropenia. They had 1 Confirmed Response in ovarian, 1 Partial Response in breast and 9 SDs. Different percentage responses, but had the prostate guy who saw 1 tumor disappear and 1 drop 50% had kept going, who knows. You could argue that THTX's program is 1 Confirmed Response from $40mil partnership, and ahead on safety. I know, the difference between a PR and a CR is not at all trivial, but it puts in to perspective that they got close, and maybe can increase probabilities with all the tweaks. Just needed that prostate guy to survive long enough basically.
The data will be interesting to see. There is a ho-hum take like JFM who no longer believes taxol will do it and a slightly more positive view (but clearly dented by the pause) that the safety once again appears to be quite good but efficacy not high enough. Cybrexa is using exatecan for their bomb. Even if docetaxol isn't the best, if the concept works you have the exatecan and SiRNA research percolating there. It just needs conceptual proof and you can test other bombs later.