- Lantern Pharma uses a proprietary AI platform, RADR®, to guide its oncology drug development, enabling rapid drug candidate identification and targeted trial design based on genomic and biomarker data.
- A Phase 2 trial patient achieved a complete response in their primary cancer lesions after multiple prior therapies failed and has remained responsive to LP-300 for two years signaling durable clinical benefit in this challenging population.
- The target population, never-smokers with non-small cell lung cancer, represents a growing global unmet need estimated at over $4 billion annually.
Lantern Pharma (NASDAQ: LTRN), a clinical-stage biotechnology company leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning to redefine oncology drug development, recently reported an encouraging clinical outcome in its Phase 2 HARMONIC(TM) trial, where a patient with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (“NSCLC”) achieved a complete response using LP-300, a compound optimized through Lantern’s AI-powered platform, RADR(R) (https://ibn.fm/II6O6).
This outcome is particularly notable because the patient had previously undergone three unsuccessful lines of treatment, including immunotherapy and targeted kinase inhibitors. The patient’s sustained remission, now over two years, highlights the potential of AI-powered drug development to identify novel therapeutic opportunities for difficult-to-treat cancers.
RADR(R), short for Response Algorithm for Drug Positioning & Rescue, is Lantern’s proprietary platform for integrating large-scale genomic, biomarker, and preclinical data. The system is designed to uncover drug-cancer matches and synergistic combinations faster and more cost-effectively than traditional approaches. It was instrumental in advancing LP-300 by confirming its potential mechanism of action and compatibility with existing chemotherapy regimens.
In the HARMONIC(TM) trial, LP-300 is being tested in combination with pemetrexed and carboplatin, targeting never-smoker NSCLC patients who have progressed after prior kinase inhibitor therapy. The trial is randomized, open-label, and enrolling patients in the U.S., Japan, and Taiwan. With approximately 90 participants planned, the study compares LP-300 plus chemotherapy against chemotherapy alone.
The early signals are encouraging. Lantern’s lead-in cohort showed an 86% clinical benefit rate and a 43% objective response rate. In one case, a 70-year-old never-smoker with advanced disease showed a 57% tumor volume reduction in 2024. By early 2025, imaging confirmed a complete response in both lung and adrenal lesions. No dose-limiting toxicities or significant adverse reactions were reported over 21 cycles of treatment.
“This outcome provides important confirmation of our data and AI-driven approach to drug development and gives us growing confidence as we advance toward potential future registration-enabling studies for this underserved patient population that has no approved treatment options after failing targeted kinase therapies,” said Lantern CEO Panna Sharma, commenting on the results. “This remarkable case exemplifies several of the things we have hoped to observe with LP-300 in the HARMONIC trial. To see a heavily pre-treated patient not only achieve a complete response in their target cancer lesions but maintain that response with excellent quality of life is truly extraordinary,” Sharma added.
The never-smoker NSCLC population is clinically distinct. It has grown significantly over the past 30 years, from 15% to over 25% of lung cancer cases globally. In East Asia, never-smokers account for nearly 35% of new NSCLC diagnoses. Yet, no therapies are approved specifically for this subset of patients, despite the distinct molecular drivers and limited treatment options after failure of kinase targeted therapies. Lantern estimates this group represents a global market opportunity exceeding $4 billion annually.
RADR(R) was built to address exactly this kind of niche: genetically defined cancers with unmet needs. By leveraging machine learning, computationally-driven mechanistic biology, and biomarker discovery, Lantern is not only identifying drug candidates but also helping design trials that focus on populations most likely to benefit. According to the company, RADR(R) has processed over 200 billion oncology-specific data points to date, enabling the advancement of multiple clinical programs.
In addition to LP-300, Lantern’s pipeline includes two other small molecule candidates (LP-184, in a Phase 1a trial for advanced solid tumors and glioblastoma multiforme, and LP-284, in a Phase 1 trial for relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and other solid tumors), an antibody-drug conjugate program, and programs in CNS and brain cancers. All of the programs are being developed using RADR(R) to streamline discovery and development timelines. The company is also engaged in research partnerships with academic institutions and global trial networks.
Clinical updates from the HARMONIC(TM) trial are expected through the second half of 2025 as enrollment progresses.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.LanternPharma.com.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to LTRN are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/LTRN
