Sutro Biopharma Inc. received orphan drug designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for STRO-001 in treating a type of blood cancer.

The South San Francisco, Calif.-based company, which listed on the Nasdaq Global Market in September, is developing STRO-001 to treat multiple myeloma — a cancer of plasma cells, or white blood cells that help the body fight infection and disease.

STRO-001 is being evaluated in a phase 1 study enrolling separate dose escalation groups for myeloma and B-cell lymphoma, a type of blood cancer that grows in lymph nodes.

Kenilworth, N.J.-based Merck & Co. Inc. has an ongoing collaboration with Sutro Biopharma to develop therapies for cancer and autoimmune disorders using Sutro's proprietary technologies, based on the so-called cell-free protein synthesis and site-specific conjugation platforms.