PDX Pharma’s PETTRA drug candidate has been awarded to Phase II

We are pleased to share that PDX Pharma has successfully met all the milestones of our Phase I SBIR and has received approval from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to advance to the Phase II project, valued at $2 million. This project (R44CA285233) focuses on the development of our nanotherapeutic, PETTRA™ (PLK1 and EGFR Targeted Therapy and Radiation Sensitizer). PETTRA™ is built upon our patented nanoparticle delivery platform, Pdx-NP™, which enables the co-delivery of an anti-EGFR antibody (serving as both a cancer-homing agent and an EGFR inhibitor) and PLK1 siRNA (killing cancer cells and sensitizing them to radiation). We have overcome the limitations of traditional nanoparticle delivery systems, achieving a long circulation half-life (e.g., 25 hours in monkeys), a tenfold increase in siRNA accumulation in tumors, and specific delivery to target cells (by 5 to 8-fold over normal cells). Additionally, we have demonstrated excellent PLK1 gene knockdown (e.g., 84%) and significant tumor inhibition (e.g., 91%) in mouse models. We would like to extend our gratitude to the NCI for their continued support and congratulate our team on this achievement!

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**Research was supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R44CA285233. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.