Threshold Pharmaceuticals and National Cancer Institute to Collaborate on Drug Candidate TH-3424
December 19 2016 - 8:02AM
-- Preclinical studies will explore the effects
of TH-3424 against T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia cancer cell
lines with high AKR1C3 expression --
Threshold Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:THLD), a clinical-stage
biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapies for cancer,
today announced that it has entered into a collaboration with the
National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of
Health (NIH), to study TH-3424, the company’s new drug candidate
for the treatment of cancer. The collaboration will explore the
effects of TH-3424 against T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia
(T-ALL) xenograft cell lines with high AKR1C3 expression. The
studies will be conducted through the NCI-funded Pediatric
Preclinical Testing Consortium (PPTC). Under this collaboration,
Threshold will supply TH-3424, and the NCI will fund the studies
that will be conducted at the PPTC leukemia research program led by
Professor Richard Lock of Children's Cancer Institute (Sydney,
Australia).
TH-3424 is a novel, small-molecule compound invented at
Threshold with potentially broad anticancer properties. TH-3424 is
activated by the enzyme AKR1C3, which is over-expressed in a number
of different cancers, to release a cytotoxic agent directly to the
tumor. Preclinical results showed that TH-3424 is effective in a
variety of human xenograft models of cancer, as initially presented
at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting in
April 2016.
“TH-3424 is designed to be activated by AKR1C3 inside tumor
cells and spare healthy tissue,” said Barry Selick, Ph.D., CEO of
Threshold Pharmaceuticals. “Evaluating this compound in
collaboration with the NCI enables us to expand the scope of our
investigations to better inform our strategy for potential future
clinical studies for this molecule.”
About TH-3424TH-3424 is a small-molecule drug
candidate being evaluated for the potential treatment of
hepatocellular cancer (HCC), castrate resistant prostate cancer
(CRPC), T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemias (T-ALL), and other
cancers expressing high levels of aldo-keto reductase family 1
member C3 (AKR1C3). Tumors overexpressing AKR1C3 can be resistant
to radiation therapy and chemotherapy and immunotherapy. TH-3424 is
a prodrug that selectively releases a potent DNA cross-linking
agent in the presence of AKR1C3. Investigational New Drug
(IND)-enabling toxicology studies are being done in collaboration
with Ascenta Pharmaceuticals, Ltd.
About Threshold Pharmaceuticals Threshold is a
clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development
of drugs and diagnostic agents targeting the tumor microenvironment
of solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. This approach offers
broad potential to treat a variety of cancers. By selectively
targeting tumor cells, we are building a pipeline of drugs that
hold promise to be more effective and less toxic to healthy tissues
than conventional anticancer drugs. For additional information,
please visit the Company's website.
About the Pediatric Preclinical Testing Consortium
(PPTC)The NCI-supported Pediatric Preclinical Testing
Consortium (PPTC) is a program to systematically evaluate novel
agents against genomically characterized childhood cancer such as
solid tumor and leukemia in vivo models. The primary goal of the
NCI PPTC is to develop high quality preclinical data to help
pediatric oncology researchers identify new agents that will show
significant activity when clinically evaluated against selected
childhood cancers. By supporting a more reliable agent
prioritization process, the PPTC contributes to the goal of
accelerating the discovery of more effective treatments for
children with cancer. The NCI PPTC is similar to and builds upon
ten years of experience with the NCI supported Pediatric
Preclinical Testing Program (PPTP), which collaborated with more
than 50 pharmaceutical companies to test novel agents against the
program's pediatric preclinical models. Information about the NCI
PPTC is available at http://www.ncipptc.org/.
Forward-Looking StatementsExcept for statements
of historical fact, the statements in this press release are
forward-looking statements, including all statements regarding the
therapeutic potential of TH-3424; anticipated development
activities related to TH-3424, and the anticipated timing thereof.
These statements involve risks and uncertainties that can cause
actual results to differ materially from those in such
forward-looking statements. Potential risks and uncertainties
include, but are not limited to: the difficulty and uncertainty of
pharmaceutical product development, including the risks that
Threshold's toxicology studies of TH-3424 may not demonstrate
sufficient safety to support an investigational new drug
application and to further the development of TH-3424 into the
clinic; Threshold's need for and the availability of resources to
develop TH-3424 and to support Threshold's operations, including
the risks that Threshold's currently-available resources may be
insufficient to further current development plans for TH-3424 and
that Threshold will otherwise need to raise substantial additional
capital in order to advance the clinical development of TH-3424;
the risks that Threshold could determine to abandon the development
of TH-3424 as a result of inadequate resources, negative or
inconclusive toxicology study results. Further information
regarding these and other risks is included under the heading "Risk
Factors" in Threshold's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, which has
been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November
7, 2016 and is available from the SEC's website (www.sec.gov) and
on our website (www.thresholdpharm.com) under the heading
"Investors". We undertake no duty to update any forward-looking
statement made in this news release.
Contact:
Denise Powell
denise@redhousecomms.com
510.703.9491
Molecular Templates (NASDAQ:MTEM)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024
Molecular Templates (NASDAQ:MTEM)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024