Revisiting Mersana Therapeutics (MRSN)

(RTTNews) - Shares of Mersana Therapeutics Inc. (MRSN), which closed at an all-time high of $25.70 yesterday, have gained an impressive 340 percent year-to-date, thanks to positive developments related to its clinical programs.

MRSN was trading around $8 when we alerted readers to the stock on February 18, 2020. A lot has happened since then.

The company's lead drug candidate is XMT-1536 that targets NaPi2b, a protein broadly expressed in ovarian cancer and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) adenocarcinoma.

The updated efficacy and safety data from the phase I study of XMT-1536 in heavily pretreated patients with ovarian cancer and NSCLC adenocarcinoma reported late March were promising. In May, the company reported promising interim safety, tolerability and efficacy data from the ongoing expansion portion of the phase I study of XMT-1536.

The month of May saw the company's second drug candidate XMT-1592 that also targets NaPi2b, with the potential to treat ovarian cancer and NSCLC adenocarcinoma, moving into phase I dose-escalation study.

Last month, the FDA granted Fast Track Designation for XMT-1536, for the treatment of patients with platinum-resistant high-grade serous ovarian cancer who have received up to three prior lines of systemic therapy or patients who have received four prior lines of systemic therapy regardless of platinum status.

Next up in the pipeline is a first-in-class B7-H4 Antibody Drug Conjugate, which is under IND- enabling studies. B7-H4 is a protein that is expressed on both tumor cells and immunosuppressive tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). (TAMs promote the growth of tumors and their spread).

The company remains on track to disclose its development candidate targeting B7-H4 this year.

Another discovery program is Immunosynthen STING-agonist ADCs, which in preclinical models have shown complete tumor regressions after a single dose, excellent tolerability, and immune memory. The company is on track to disclose the first Immunosynthen candidate this year.

What Next?

Mersana is scheduled to present updated interim data from the ovarian cancer cohort of the ongoing phase I expansion study of XMT-1536 today, September 17.

Cash Position:

The company's cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities as of June 30, 2020, were $291.4 million.

With Mersana continuing to make progress across its pipeline, 2020 has been a transformational year for the company, as rightly predicted.

Had you bought the stock in February when we had alerted, you would have made a gain of at least 196% in 7 months.

MRSN has traded in a range of $1.32 to $26.64 in the last 1 year.

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Stock Alert: Mersana (MRSN) Working To Make 2020 A Transformational Year?