ERYtech Pharma Signs an Agreement With M. D. Anderson Cancer Center to Develop a Companion Test for GRASPA(R) in Solid Tumors

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LYON, France & PHILADELPHIA, pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ERYtech Pharma, a specialty pharma company located in France and in USA (Philadelphia), is pleased to announce a collaborative research agreement in the field of personalized medicine focusing on ERYtech’s flagship product, GRASPA®, which consists of red blood cell-encapsulated L-asparaginase (L-ASP).

Pr. John Weinstein, Chair of the Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, TX) and principal investigator of the project, states “L-ASP is a standard component of leukemia chemotherapy regimens, but it’s not used yet against solid tumors due to erratic activity. We’ve identified a candidate biomarker, asparagine synthetase (ASNS) that may predict L-ASP activity against solid tumors.”

Dr. Philip Lorenzi, who leads the project, adds “We’re very interested in studying GRASPA® because of its reported reduction of L-asparaginase side effects.”

ERYtech Pharma’s Co-Founder and CEO, Dr. Yann Godfrin says “Collaboration with M. D. Anderson Cancer Center provides us the opportunity to develop a clinically-compatible biomarker assay and to rationally prescribe GRASPA® to patients who are most likely to respond. Toward that end, the M. D. Anderson’s researchers will analyze patient samples from ERYtech’s clinical trials.”

About ERYtech Pharma

ERYtech Pharma is a specialty pharma company developing innovative therapeutic solutions based on its proprietary technology and expertise in the physiological properties of erythrocytes. The company addresses serious pathologies, orphan indications or sub-populations of patients, particularly in the fields of haematology, cancer and metabolic diseases.

www.erytech.com

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