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Compressing drug development timelines in oncology using phase '0' trials

Nature Reviews Cancer volume 7, pages 131–139 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

The optimal evaluation of molecularly targeted anticancer agents requires the integration of pharmacodynamic assays into early clinical investigations. Phase '0' trials conducted under the new Exploratory Investigational New Drug Guidance from the US Food and Drug Administration can provide a platform to establish the feasibility of assays for target modulation in human samples, evaluate biomarkers for drug effects and provide pharmacokinetic data. Phase 0 trials could facilitate rational drug selection, identify therapeutic failures early, and might compress timelines for anticancer drug development. We expect that such trials will become a routine part of early-phase oncological drug development in the future.

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Figure 1: Stages of drug development.
Figure 2: Single-dose phase 0 trial of a drug with serial sampling of blood and tumour for pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic analysis.
Figure 3: Pharmacodynamic assay development before the initiation of phase 0 clinical trials.

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Acknowledgements

This project has been funded in whole or in part with federal funds from the US National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the US Department of Health and Human Services, nor does any mention of trade names, commercial products or organizations imply endorsement by the US Government. This research was supported by the Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis and the Center for Cancer Research of the National Cancer Institute.

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  1. Joseph E. Tomaszewski and James H. Doroshow are at the Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, Robert Kinders, Larry Rubinstein, Ralph E. Parchment, Anthony J. Murgo, Jerry Collins, Oxana Pickeral, Jennifer Low, Sherry Yang, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.,

    Robert Kinders, Larry Rubinstein, Ralph E. Parchment, Anthony J. Murgo, Jerry Collins, Oxana Pickeral, Jennifer Low, Sherry Yang, Joseph E. Tomaszewski & James H. Doroshow

  2. Shivaani Kummar, Seth M. Steinberg, Martin Gutierrez, Lee Helman, Robert Wiltrout and James H. Doroshow are at the Center for Cancer Research, SAIC-Frederick, Inc., NCI-Frederick, Frederick, Maryland USA.,

    Shivaani Kummar, Seth M. Steinberg, Martin Gutierrez, Lee Helman, Robert Wiltrout & James H. Doroshow

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  1. Shivaani Kummar
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Correspondence to James H. Doroshow.

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FURTHER INFORMATION

National Cancer Institute

Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis

Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute

Cancer Therapy and Evaluation Program, National Cancer Institute Guidelines for Correlative Studies in Clinical Trials

Office of Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research, National Cancer Institute

Steps for pharmacodynamic assay development

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Kummar, S., Kinders, R., Rubinstein, L. et al. Compressing drug development timelines in oncology using phase '0' trials. Nat Rev Cancer 7, 131–139 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrc2066

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