A First-In-Human Study of BLZ-100 (Tozuleristide) Demonstrates Tolerability and Fluorescence Contrast in Skin Cancer

    May 2018 in “ Journal of Investigative Dermatology ”
    Miko Yamada, Dennis M. Miller, Melinda G. Lowe, Casey Rowe, Dominic Wood, Kelly Byrnes-Blake, Julia Parrish-Novak, Laura Ishak, Jim Olson, Gary E. L. Brandt, Paul Griffin, L. Spleman, Tarl W. Prow
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    TLDR BLZ-100 is safe for use in skin cancer surgery and may help identify cancerous tissue.
    The document describes a study where 21 adult patients with known or suspected skin cancers were administered BLZ-100 (tozuleristide), a fluorescent imaging agent, to aid in the detection of malignant tissue during surgery. The patients received doses ranging from 1 to 18 mg. BLZ-100 was found to be well tolerated with no serious adverse effects reported. At doses of 3-12 mg, 90% of malignant lesions exhibited positive fluorescence. Gene expression analysis showed only modest differences between BLZ-100 positive and negative basal cell carcinoma tumors, indicating the agent's potential to distinguish between molecular subtypes of skin cancer. The study supports the safety of BLZ-100 up to 18 mg and suggests further research is needed to assess its efficacy in other solid tumors.
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