A novel targeted treatment designed to induce cancer cell death has demonstrated remarkable potential for patients with advanced bowel cancer when paired with chemotherapy, according to findings from an early-stage trial. Researchers observed that the combination therapy led to tumour reduction in some participants and effectively stopped disease progression in others. One patient described the treatment as providing her with a "new lease of life."
How the drug works
The drug, known as ozekibart, functions by imitating a natural protein that binds to specific receptors on cancer cells, triggering their programmed death while largely preserving healthy tissue. The Phase I trial, led by the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, enrolled 45 patients with advanced bowel cancer whose condition had deteriorated after two or three prior treatments and who were ineligible for surgery. Participants received ozekibart alongside Folfiri chemotherapy, a standard regimen.
Promising results
Results indicated that tumours shrank in 20 per cent of patients. Crucially, cancer progression was halted in nearly nine out of ten (87 per cent) participants. In one particularly encouraging case, a follow-up scan revealed no visible tumour. Dr Hazel Lote, consultant medical oncologist at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and honorary appointee at the Institute of Cancer Research, London, stated: "These early results are promising for patients with advanced colorectal cancer who have very few treatment options left. The combination of ozekibart plus Folfiri not only shrank tumours in some patients but stopped the cancer from worsening in many others, suggesting this treatment combination could offer a promising new treatment option."
Patient story
Amanda Burgess, a 59-year-old from East Sussex, joined the trial in July 2025. She was diagnosed with bowel cancer in April 2024 and underwent surgery to remove the tumour, but later learned the cancer had spread. "Chemotherapy and immunotherapy followed, but unfortunately they weren't successful," Ms Burgess said. "This new treatment has given me a new lease of life. Since starting the trial, I've had two significant reductions in the size of my tumour and things are now stable. The chemotherapy has been hard at times, but I've had no side effects from the trial drug itself. My energy has returned, and I'm back to doing the things I love. I walk my black labs Cromwell and Pip every day, I'm playing tennis, attending Pilates classes and spending time with my husband, David, and our children. I feel incredibly fortunate to be on the trial."
Future implications
Dr Lote noted that the findings, which are being presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago, "are really encouraging" and support further research. Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, with over 48,000 new cases diagnosed annually. It is the second leading cause of cancer deaths, claiming around 17,700 lives each year. The trial is supported by the Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK, established by Dame Deborah James, who died in June 2022 at age 40.
