Midatech Pharma kicks off trials for treatment of childhood brain cancer

The AIM-traded company said that dosing has begun using its MTX110 in patients with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), a highly aggressive strain of the disease with overall median survival of approximately nine months.

Craig Cook, designate chief executive of Midatech Pharma, said: "We are excited by MTX110's potential to make a difference to the children who suffer from DIPG, and for whom the only existing therapeutic options are palliative. We look forward to continuing to progress our R&D pipeline, addressing unmet needs in significant markets such as this and creating value for our stakeholders."

The treatment will be given to 40 youngsters at the University of California, San Francisco and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York during the trial.

The trial is a combined phase I and phase II study with the read-out from the former projected to be released in the second half of 2019 followed by results from the latter in 2020.

Following the release of results, Midatech said it will seek to secure expedited regulatory approval for MTX110.

"It is a testament to the strength and dedication of our team that, having only begun research work on this programme in 2015, this complex and novel potential therapy is now entering the clinic less than 30 months later," said Cook.

As of 0913 BST, Midatech Pharma’s shares were up 1.67% at 30.50p.