Phio Pharmaceuticals Presents This Week at the Society for Investigative Dermatology (SID)

-Phio’s lead candidate, PH-762, targets PD-1, a critical target in cutaneous carcinoma

MARLBOROUGH, Mass., May 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Phio Pharmaceuticals Corp. (Nasdaq: PHIO), a clinical stage biotechnology company whose proprietary INTASYL siRNA gene silencing technology is designed to make immune cells more effective in killing tumor cells, today announced it is presenting data about its lead clinical candidate, PH-762, an INTASYL compound. The data is being presented in three posters at the annual meeting of the Society for Investigative Dermatology (SID) this week in Dallas, Texas.

“We’re pleased to present the power of the INTASYL platform and specifically, the applicability of lead compound PH-762 in treating skin carcinomas, to this community dedicated to dermatological research and patient care,” stated Linda Mahoney, Phio’s SVP of Development.

PH-762 is an INTASYL compound that silences PD-1, a protein that inhibits T cells' ability to kill cancer cells. In a murine model, mPH-762 was well tolerated at the maximum administered dose and treatment with mPH-762 provided robust inhibition of tumor growth. Additionally, intratumoral mPH-762 treatment extended abscopal efficacy to untreated distal tumors in bilateral models. Toxicokinetic studies conducted in marmoset monkeys demonstrated that PH-762, when administered intravenously is well-tolerated, with no detectable cytokine-release associated cytokines found in the plasma. The preclinical profile of PH-762 supports the ongoing clinical development of the compound for the treatment of cutaneous malignancies.

PH-762 is currently being studied in a US clinical trial to assess safety and efficacy in specific skin cancers (NCT 06014086). This open-label Phase 1b clinical study is designed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of neoadjuvant use of intratumoral PH-762 in Stages 1, 2, and 4 cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, Stage 4 melanoma, and Stage 4 Merkel cell carcinoma. Stages 1 and 2 cSCC represent 77% of all new cSCC cases annually.

Presentation Details are as follows:

1.	Title:	INTASYL self-delivering RNAi: A Flexible Platform to Treat Dermatological Malignancies
	Abstract Number:	575
	Session Title:	Pharmacology and Therapeutic Development
	Presenting Author:	Melissa Maxwell
	Session Date/Time:	Thursday, May 16, 4:30-6:30pm
	Location:	Trinity Exhibit Hall