Business
The Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) of the Université de Montréal and IRICoR Announce initiation of Phase 1 Trial of Licensed Small Molecule Therapy for Solid Tumors
IRIC and IRICoR today announced the start of a Phase 1 clinical trial of its small molecule therapy for solid tumors licensed to Ipsen. This marks a major milestone in the strategic collaboration between the partners, which began in May 2020 with a research and option agreement followed by a licensing agreement in February 2023.
About this update from Ipsen Sa
[{"type":"text","content":"Milestone marks a key advancement in the partnership with Ipsen.","length":64,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"MONTRÉAL , July 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ - IRIC and IRICoR today announced the start of a Phase 1 clinical trial of its small molecule therapy for solid tumors licensed to Ipsen. This marks a major milestone in the strategic collaboration between the partners, which began in May 2020 with a research and option agreement followed by a licensing agreement in February 2023.","length":374,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"The small molecule clinical candidate, now known as IPN01195, is a RAF inhibitor, an important target in a signaling pathway involved in cancer cell growth and proliferation. It was originally discovered and developed by the teams of Professors Marc Therrien and Anne Marinier at the Université de Montréal's Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) and has shown promising activity in preclinical models of various solid tumors.","length":447,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":""We are extremely proud to see our novel small molecule therapy reaching this important clinical milestone. This is another example of the efficiency and innovative approach of IRIC's collaborative drug discovery research model," said Dr. Anne Marinier, Director of the Drug Discovery Unit at IRIC. "This marks a major step forward for our multidisciplinary teams of biologists and chemists, but more importantly, it brings us closer to delivering a potential new treatment option for patients facing advanced cancers," said Dr. Marc Therrien, Principal Investigator, Intracellular Signalling Research Unit and Chief Executive Officer, IRIC. "We are delighted by the commitment and progress of our partner Ipsen, and we look forward to the continued development of this promising therapy," concluded Dr. Marinier.","length":847,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":""The initiation of this clinical trial marks a major validation of our business development efforts," said Elizabeth Douville, CEO, IRICoR. "It demonstrates our ability to translate novel science into programs that attract world-class partners and progress into the clinic. With additional first-in-class and best-in-class molecules targeting key cancer pathways in our pipeline, we are actively expl...