Korea’s biotech Sillajen said on Wednesday it enrolled the first patient at the University of Miami, Florida for a phase 1b clinical trial to evaluate the combination of its oncolytic virus Pexa-Vec and Regeneron’s PD-1 inhibitor cemiplimab (REGN2810) in the treatment of kidney cancer.

Sillajen shares closed Wednesday 2.9 percent higher at 74,800 won ($67.7) in Seoul.

The study to be led by Dr. Jaime R. Merchan is designed to obtain dosage and safety data from 89 patients with metastatic or unresectable kidney cancer randomized to three treatment groups.

Patient enrollment was initially open in the U.S. on June 1 with expansion to sites in Korea and Australia sequentially.

Cemiplimab, an investigational PD-1 inhibitor of Sanofi and Regeneron, was filed for approval in Europe for the treatment of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in Europe in April.

A PD-1 inhibitor works by blocking the mechanism that tumors use to hide from a patient`s immune system.

Cemiplimab, if approved, would be the third anti-PD-1 antibody after Opdivo and Keytruda in the world.

By Shin Chan-ok and Minu Kim

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