Merlin Biotech Receives Another Phase I SBIR To Investigate MER-101 in Head and Neck Cancer

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. — Merlin Biotech has received a $400,000 Phase I SBIR grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), part of the National Institutes of Health. MER-101 is Merlin’s lead program, an mRNA-based immunotherapy directed at USP6. The grant extends MER-101 into a second cancer, building on Merlin’s earlier NIH contract to develop the therapy for Ewing sarcoma.

A growing cancer with costly treatment

Cancers of the throat caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) have risen steadily in the United States and are now the most common HPV-related cancer in the country. Most cases occur in the tonsils and the base of the tongue. Standard treatment combines surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Many patients respond, but often at the price of lasting problems with swallowing, speech and taste. Options are limited for patients whose cancer returns or spreads.

MER-101 uses mRNA to deliver USP6, a protein that Merlin’s preclinical research links to activation of multiple anti-cancer immune pathways. In animal models, MER-101 slowed the growth of treated tumors and of distant, untreated lesions. HPV-positive tumors carry viral proteins that the immune system can recognize, which makes them a natural setting for an immunotherapy like MER-101.

About Merlin Biotech

Merlin Biotech is a preclinical-stage mRNA company based in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Its lead program, MER-101, is a USP6-directed cancer immunotherapy in development for Ewing sarcoma, head and neck cancer and other solid tumors.

Research reported in this release is supported by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research of the National Institutes of Health. The content is solely the responsibility of Merlin Biotech and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH. MER-101 is a preclinical therapy and has not been approved by the FDA.