Antisoma, the UK-based biopharmaceutical company developing new drugs for cancer, has completed recruitment into a Phase I trial of its radiolabelled monoclonal antibody fragment, TheraFab. The trial enrolled patients with non-small cell lung cancer, the commonest form of lung cancer. The aim of the study is to show how effectively TheraFab binds to lung-derived tumour cells and to check that the antibody does not deliver unacceptable levels of radiation to healthy tissues.

TheraFab is a member of the HMFG-1 family of antibody products, which bind to the tumour antigen MUC1. The MUC1 antigen is known to be expressed in a high proportion of non-small cell lung cancers.

Commenting, Glyn Edwards, CEO of Antisoma said 'Completion of recruitment means we are on target to finish the study by the end of the year. We hope that the findings will ultimately contribute to the development of improved therapy for lung cancer, which remains poorly treated with current therapies.'