RedHill Biopharma collaborates with Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for oncology drug RP101

Israeli biotech firm RedHill Biopharma (TASE: RDHL) has entered into a research collaboration with Leipzig, Germany-based Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), a research unit of the Fraunhofer Society, one of the largest and most prominent applied research organizations in the world, for the evaluation of RedHill’s Phase II-stage oncology drug candidate, RP101.

The research collaboration tests RP101 in preclinical oncology models, including pancreatic cancer, in combination with standard-of-care chemotherapies to support existing Phase I and Phase II clinical data. RP101 is a proprietary, first-in-class, orally-administered, heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27) inhibitor intended to prevent the induction of resistance to chemotherapy (chemoresistance), thus maintaining sensitivity of the tumor to chemotherapy and potentially enhancing patient survival.

RP101 has Orphan designation for pancreatic cancer in USA and Europe