Lantern Pharma Inc. (NASDAQ: LTRN, $4,23, +8,32% over the last 5-days) is making remarkable strides in AI-driven cancer therapy development, with promising clinical trials across multiple drug candidates showing encouraging results. The company’s innovative approach, combining artificial intelligence with targeted therapies, is paving the way for potentially transformative treatments in oncology, offering hope for improved outcomes for cancer patients worldwide.
AI-Driven Cancer Therapy
At the forefront of oncology innovation, Lantern Pharma’s RADR® AI and machine learning platform is revolutionizing targeted cancer therapies. This cutting-edge technology guides the development of multiple clinical-stage drug programs, including LP-300, LP-184, and LP-284, each showing promising results in ongoing trials. The platform’s capabilities extend beyond drug discovery, encompassing patient biomarker identification and combination therapy optimization, positioning RADR® as a potential industry standard for AI-driven oncology drug development. With plans to enhance its generative AI capabilities for both small molecule and ADC development, Lantern Pharma is poised to accelerate the creation of more effective and personalized cancer treatments.
Clinical Trials Progress
Promising advancements have been made across Lantern Pharma’s clinical trials portfolio. The Harmonic™ Phase 2 trial for LP-300 demonstrated an impressive 86% clinical benefit rate in the initial 7-patient safety lead-in cohort, with no dose-limiting toxicities observed. Meanwhile, the Phase 1 trials for LP-184 and LP-284 are progressing well, with over 40 patients dosed to date and no dose-limiting toxicities reported. These encouraging results are complemented by significant progress towards developing a molecular diagnostic for LP-184, which aims to improve patient selection and stratification in future oncology trials.
Strategic Collaborations
Lantern Pharma has forged strategic partnerships to accelerate drug development and expand its reach. A notable collaboration with Oregon Therapeutics leverages the RADR® AI platform to optimize the development of XCE853, a potent inhibitor of cancer metabolism. This partnership aims to refine and expand the positioning of XCE853 in new oncology indications, including drug-resistant tumors. Additionally, Starlight Therapeutics, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lantern Pharma, is advancing the development of STAR-001 for recurrent glioblastoma (GBM), with site selection and feasibility studies underway for a Phase 1B/Phase 2 trial. These collaborations demonstrate Lantern Pharma’s commitment to fostering innovation and expanding its therapeutic pipeline through strategic partnerships. This week another Lantern collaborator and a share holding of Lantern, Actuate Therapeutics (ACTU, $8.70, Mkt cap $166.27M), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing therapies for the treatment of high impact, difficult to treat cancers, announced the closing of its previously announced initial public offering of 2,800,000 shares of its common stock, at a price of $8.00 per share to the public for a total of $22,400,000 of gross proceeds to the Company, before deducting underwriting discounts and offering expenses. In addition, the Company has granted a 30-day option to the underwriters to purchase up to 420,000 additional shares, representing 15% of the shares sold in the Offering, solely to cover over-allotments, if any, at the initial public offering price, less the underwriting discounts and commissions. All of the shares are being offered by the Company. The shares began trading on August 13, 2024 on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “ACTU.”
Global Expansion and Impact
Expanding its global footprint, Lantern Pharma is initiating clinical trial sites in Japan and Taiwan for the Phase 2 Harmonic™ study. This strategic move aims to accelerate data collection and potentially bring a much-needed therapeutic option to never-smokers with NSCLC in these regions, where the incidence of this cancer type is significantly higher than in the United States. Dr. Yashushi Goto, a renowned lung cancer researcher at the National Cancer Center of Japan, will lead the trial in Japan, enhancing the company’s positioning for potential collaborative partnerships with global biopharma companies focused on Asian markets. This expansion not only addresses a critical medical need but also taps into an estimated annual global market potential of over $2.6 billion for the treatment of never-smokers with NSCLC.
Here’s What the CEO Says:
Panna Sharma is the President, CEO, and Board Member of Lantern Pharma Inc.
“The team at Lantern Pharma is making solid, thoughtful and disciplined progress in our clinical trials and in our collaborative research and AI efforts. This past quarter saw a significant milestone where our clinical trials are getting to the point of having initial patient data that we can share, including our unique Harmonic™ clinical trial for never smokers with lung cancer. We continue to also improve the functionality and abilities of our AI platform, RADR®, to guide the next phase of our therapeutic programs which will be heavily marked by trials with combination regimens, and ADC development,” said Panna Sharma, President and CEO of Lantern Pharma.
Quick Highlights From Lantern’s Q2 2024 Update on August 8, 2024.
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Active clinical trials across three AI-guided drug candidates with additional ADC-based preclinical molecules in evaluation for development.
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Preliminary patient data and clinical readouts for Phase 2 LP-300 Harmonic™ Trial released showing an 86% clinical benefit rate in the initial 7 patient safety lead-in cohort.
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Issued a Certificate of Patent by the Japanese Patent Office directed to Lantern Pharma’s drug candidate LP-284, including claims covering the new molecular entity.
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Phase 1 clinical trials for both synthetic lethal drug candidates, LP-184 and LP-284, continue to advance with no dose-limiting toxicities observed in any of the patient cohorts enrolled and over 40 patients dosed to-date.
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Achieved significant advancement towards key milestone in the development of molecular diagnostic for use with drug candidate LP-184 in future oncology clinical trials to improve patient selection and stratification.
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Launched strategic drug development collaboration leveraging our AI platform, RADR®, with Oregon Therapeutics to optimize the development of first-in-class drug candidate XCE853 – a potent inhibitor of cancer metabolism.
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Starlight Therapeutics, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lantern Pharma focused on CNS and brain cancers advanced with initiating site selection and feasibility for a Phase 1B/Phase 2 trial in recurrent GBM with drug candidate, STAR-001.
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Launched Webinar Wednesdays, a webinar series that focuses on the areas of artificial intelligence and oncology drug development with leading physicians, scientists and Lantern collaborators.
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Approximately $33.3 million in cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities as of June 30, 2024.
- Here’s the link to the entire update.
Lantern Pharma website: https://www.lanternpharma.com.
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