Lantern Pharma (NASDAQ: LTRN), an AI-native precision oncology company, announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has cleared an investigator-initiated Phase 1b/2 clinical trial evaluating its lead drug candidate LP-184 (zirdafulven) in patients with advanced or metastatic bladder cancer. The study will be conducted at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, Denmark, and will enroll up to 39 patients. Participants will be prospectively selected based on PTGR1 overexpression and DNA-damage-repair deficiency, reflecting Lantern's precision oncology approach.
The trial targets patients who have progressed on or are ineligible for current standard-of-care therapies, addressing a significant unmet need in bladder cancer treatment. Lantern's proprietary RADR® platform will be used to advance its AI-driven precision oncology strategy. LP-184 is also being developed for pediatric CNS cancers through Starlight Therapeutics, Lantern's wholly owned CNS-focused subsidiary.
Lantern's pipeline includes LP-284, a TC-NER targeting compound in hematologic and solid tumors, and LP-300, a cisplatin/ethacraplatin analog being evaluated in the HARMONIC Phase 2 trial in never-smoker patients with relapsed advanced lung adenocarcinoma following TKI treatment. Additionally, Lantern's multi-agentic AI co-scientist platform, withZeta.ai, is now commercially available as a subscription-based research platform, representing a new revenue stream.
The EMA clearance marks a key milestone for Lantern as it expands its clinical footprint in Europe. The biomarker-guided design could improve trial efficiency and patient outcomes. Lantern operates an AI Center of Excellence in Bengaluru, India and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.
