Tiziana Life Sciences PLC (LON:TILS, NASDAQ:TLSA) has outlined a busy schedule for 2020 after making significant clinical and pre-clinical progress with assets spanning cancers, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

The update was provided alongside full-year results for the 12 months to December 31, 2019.

In the outlook statement, the company said preclinical studies are ongoing for its new technology to treat coronavirus (COVID-19) infections. Its approach consists of the direct delivery of anti-IL-6 receptor monoclonal antibodies into the lungs using a handheld inhaler or nebuliser. Additionally, Tiziana said it hopes to commence a trial investigating the direct delivery of an anti-IL-6 mAb to the lungs using a portable inhaler.

Turning to Foralumab, based on successful phase I data, the company said it intends to conduct a phase II study using Crohn's Disease patients starting in the second half of this year. A study of the use of the nasally-administered drug in multiple sclerosis patients is also planned. Pre-clinical work is planned around a potential breakthrough use in Alzheimers.

For Milciclib, the company is planning a phase IIb clinical trial in HCC (liver cancer) patients with the drug being used in combination with a Tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as Regorafenib or Sorafenib.

Looking ahead, Tiziana is confident that it is well-positioned to advance these programs to their next respective value inflection points, chairman Gabriele Cerrone said in the results statement.

Tiziana also said it is continuing with the development of its StemPrint ER diagnostic tester. The stem cell-based genomic prognostic tool has been shown to be clinically superior to the standard of care, a technology called Oncotype DX, in predicting recurrence in ER+/HER2- postmenopausal breast cancer patients.

In May, the company said it was planning to spin out its StemPrintER and SPARE genomics-based personalised medicine businesses as a separate stock market quoted company.

This will allow the newly independent group to secure independent funding to accelerate the accelerated development of the StemPrintER genomic test, the group said. It will also ensure the demerged entity can focus solely on the personalised medicines market.

Turning to the financials, Tiziana, as would be expected of a company focused solely on research and development, was loss-making to the tune of 7.17mln in 2019.

R&D costs shrunk to 2.9mln from 4.1mln as the Miciclib phase IIa trial was completed.

It bolstered its cash reserves in March with a 7.8mln (U$10mln) offering of American depositary shares.

Read the original here:
Tiziana Life Sciences outlines a busy schedule for 2020 - Proactive Investors USA & Canada