STAT3 DECOY in Head and Neck Cancer

The decision to proceed with an exploratory IND study to be conducted in a phase 0 setting was based upon the expectation that the trial will involve very limited human exposure to the STAT3 decoy, and as administered, will have no therapeutic or diagnostic intent. Rather, the trial is designed to determine if intratumoral administration of the STAT3 decoy in human head and neck tumors inhibits STAT3 target gene expression. Given the cumulative evidence supporting STAT3 as a therapeutic target in cancer, and the absence of any clinical trial to date using a STAT3 inhibitor, it was felt that there would be utility in a proof of principal study to determine if the STAT3 decoy inhibits the expression of STAT3 target genes in human head and neck cancers. To support the proposed study design, the Grandis lab carried out a kinetic study in a xenograft model of SCCHN. Preliminary results demonstrated that administration of the STAT3 decoy, but not the mutant control decoy, decreased expression of STAT3 target genes (Bcl-xL and/or Cyclin D1) at time points ranging from 1 to 6 hours.