Lantern Pharma Inc. (NASDAQ: LTRN) announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued a Notice of Allowance for a patent covering biomarker-guided treatment with its drug candidate LP-184, also known as zirdafulven, in multiple solid tumor cancers.

The allowed claims, under U.S. Patent Application No. 17/230,821, cover methods of selecting and treating patients with ovarian, primary liver, kidney, or thyroid cancer using LP-184 based on elevated expression of three genes — PTGR1, PTPN14, and ASPH — identified in a patient tumor sample.

Kishor Bhatia, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Lantern Pharma, said in a statement: "PTGR1 is unique in that it sits on both sides of the equation — it is associated with aggressive tumor biology, and it is the enzyme that activates LP-184 inside the tumor cell."

According to the company, Lantern's RADR artificial intelligence platform identified PTGR1 overexpression and low expression of multiple DNA damage repair genes as predictors of LP-184 sensitivity. LP-184 is a prodrug activated inside cancer cells by the PTGR1 enzyme, which the company says is frequently overexpressed in tumors.

Lantern Pharma completed a 63-patient Phase 1a trial of LP-184 in patients with recurrent or refractory advanced solid tumors. Among patients treated at or above the effective therapeutic dose, the disease control rate was 45%, based on a subset of 29 patients.

The company plans to evaluate LP-184 in multiple Phase 1b/2 clinical trials in advanced and rare cancers during 2026. LP-184 holds FDA Fast Track Designation for triple-negative breast cancer and glioblastoma, and Orphan Drug Designation for malignant gliomas, pancreatic cancer, and atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor.

Lantern Pharma said it intends to continue expanding its patent portfolio through additional filings covering further indications and biomarker-guided applications of LP-184. The information above is based on a company press release.