Israeli, US Firms Team Up On Nitric Oxide Cancer Treatment

An Israeli firm that develops nitric oxide-based therapies for respiratory diseases has teamed up with a US biopharm company on a new treatment for cancer using high concentrations of the molecule that is found naturally in the body.

The treatment is currently in early clinical trials.  

Rehovot-based Beyond Air and Atlanta-headquartered Beyond Cancer have produced a form of immunotherapy for solid tumors known as ultra-high concentration nitric oxide (UNO), which says it can prevent relapse or the spread of the disease with a single 5-minute treatment using its proprietary delivery mechanism.

Nitric oxide (NO) is a potent molecule that has been proven to have a role in many bodily processes, such as regulating blood flow and controlling oxygen consumption. 

At ultra-high concentrations, NO has been found to possess anti-cancer properties and to potentially act as a way of enhancing chemotherapy and radiotherapy for oncology patients. 

The cancer treatment is in its Phase 1 clinical study, focused on assessing the safety and tolerability of UNO and investigating its efficacy by checking the response of a patient’s immune biomarkers to the therapy. 

“We are delighted to advance to the next cohort of our Phase 1 trial with no reported dose limiting toxicities,” said Dr. Jedidiah Monson, Beyond Cancer’s Chief Medical Officer, of the checks for potential side effects of the treatment. 

“We look forward to completing dose escalation, advancing the UNO development program to the dose expansion portion of the study,” he said.