From WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com …
— A drug development firm with roots in UW-Madison has begun enrolling patients in a clinical trial evaluating a potential breast cancer treatment.
Cellectar Biosciences recently announced it has enrolled the first patient in a Phase 1b trial of its therapy called CLR 125 for treating triple-negative breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease. It works by inflicting direct genetic damage within tumor cells, according to details from the company.
Company President and CEO James Caruso notes triple-negative breast cancer patients face “a profound lack of targeted therapies,” calling the clinical trial enrollment a major milestone for the company and those with the disease.
“With additional study sites being activated in Q2, we are poised to rapidly advance this program and plan to provide dosimetry, safety, and efficacy updates throughout 2026,” Caruso said in a statement.
Earlier pre-clinical studies found the therapy achieved selective tumor uptake and “statistically significant” activity within models of this form of breast cancer. At the dosage level being tested, the research found no organ toxicity or hematologic toxicity, which refers to reduced blood cell production in bone marrow.
Under the newly opened clinical trial, the company will evaluate three dose levels and dosing regimens for CLR 125, ranging from two to four cycles of the varying treatment amounts. Each distinct participant group will enroll about 15 patients.
The trial involves imaging-based assessments to check tumor uptake and therapy distribution within the body, used to predict safety and therapeutic activity. Along with checking safety and tolerability, researchers will look at early measures of treatment efficacy, including how tumors respond and “progression-free” survival by patients.
The UW-Madison spin-off, which launched in Madison more than two decades ago, is now based in New Jersey. Its board of directors includes investor John Neis, managing director of Madison-based Venture Investors LLC.
See the release below.
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