Seattle biotech company Blaze Bioscience has received Fast Track designation from the FDA for a clinical program evaluating tozuleristide. Update, April 8: Blaze confirmed that it recently raised an additional $5 million, after raising $15 million in 2019. Total funding to date is $60 million.
- Also known as BLZ-100, tozuleristide is what the company refers to as “Tumor Paint,” a molecule that binds to cancer cells and lights them up to help brain surgeons remove tumors.
- Tumor Paint was created using a peptide, or a small protein, from the Israeli deathstalker scorpion. But the formula is entirely synthetic. It is currently being evaluated in a phase 2/3 clinical trial with pediatric patients.
- The Fast Track designation expedites the approval process for bringing drugs to market. “Pediatric brain tumors remain the leading cause of cancer-related death among children and adolescents,” Dr. Dennis Miller, Blaze Bioscience executive vice president of development, said in a statement. “We look forward to our continued collaborative relationship with FDA as we work to complete the clinical and other product development work needed to speed the product to approval.”
- More: How scorpion venom helps improve brain cancer surgery in children by making tumors glow
