Rznomics to present interim U.S. trial results for liver cancer candidate RZ-001 at AACR

Rznomics said on the 19th it will unveil interim clinical results for its liver cancer drug candidate RZ-001 at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). The clinical trial was conducted in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, among others, who had no prior systemic therapy, and the liver cancer drug candidate was administered in combination with the immune-oncology drugs atezolizumab and bevacizumab.

RZ-001 cleaves telomerase messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA), which appears in cancer cells, and converts it into therapeutic RNA to induce cancer cell death. As a result, tumor-shrinking responses were observed in patients. About 23% experienced complete disappearance of cancer cells.

Rznomics said it is a gene therapy corporation with RNA editing technology and has technology that can remove RNA that causes intractable diseases and express RNA containing therapeutic material. Rznomics' liver cancer drug candidate received orphan drug designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The program supports the smooth development of treatments for rare diseases, and the company can receive benefits such as priority review, tax credits, waiver of application fees, and up to seven years of market exclusivity.

The company said it plans to present more updated clinical results in the oral presentation at the conference and said the results are interim findings, so it is necessary to avoid overinterpretation.