Awards totaling more than $2 million aim to promote and support
innovative research on Tumor Treating Fields to deepen
understanding and accelerate the development of new treatment
strategies
Novocure (NASDAQ: NVCR) today announced the recipients of the
3rd Annual AACR-Novocure Grants for Tumor Treating Fields Research
program. The program represents a joint effort between Novocure and
the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) to promote and
support innovative research on Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields).
The AACR is the world’s first and largest professional organization
dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent
and cure cancer.
Such collaborations help to deepen the understanding of
TTFields’ mechanism of action and to identify its optimal use.
Extensive preclinical and clinical evidence provides the foundation
upon which Novocure executes its strategy to advance TTFields
through additional clinical research studies across multiple solid
tumor types.
Professor Maurizio D'Incalci, M.D., of Humanitas University in
Italy is one of the grant recipients. He and his team’s hypothesis
is that the sensitivity of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM)
cells to TTFields is related to the modulation of genes and
pathways involved in cell proliferation and survival. Their
research will investigate the potential synergism of TTFields with
selected anticancer drugs in MPM based on the mechanistic
insights.
“While great progress has been made regarding the research and
development of Tumor Treating Fields, there is still more to learn
and understand to continue deepening the science,” Professor
D'Incalci said. “We are excited to have begun our research and look
forward to sharing the results.”
The program includes research grants and career development
awards totaling more than $2 million over the next three years. The
research grants include six AACR-Novocure Tumor Treating Fields
Research Grants and two AACR-Novocure Career Development Awards for
Tumor Treating Fields Research. Recipients of the research grants
will receive a total of $100,000 to $250,000 over one to two years.
Recipients of the career development awards will receive a total of
$225,000 over three years.
“We are so proud of this year’s recipients of the AACR-Novocure
Grants for Tumor Treating Fields Research,” said Asaf Danziger,
Novocure’s Chief Executive Officer. “We are honored to collaborate
with the AACR as we continue to deepen our understanding of the
mechanism of action of Tumor Treating Fields. We wish great success
to the recipients as they conduct this important work.”
2021 AACR-Novocure Tumor Treating Fields Research
Grants
- Spencer J. Collis, Ph.D.; University of Sheffield (United
Kingdom); TTFields-based DDRi combinations to overcome
spatiofunctional heterogeneity
- Maurizio D'Incalci, M.D.; Humanitas University (Italy);
TTFields in mesothelioma: mechanisms and novel rational drug
combinations
- Chang-Young Jang, Ph.D.; Sookmyung Women's University (South
Korea); Identification of new target of TTFs in mitosis for
therapeutic application
- Sara G.M. Piccirillo, Ph.D.; University of New Mexico; The
impact of Tumor-Treating Fields on residual disease in
glioblastoma
- Claudio E. Tatsui, M.D.; University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer
Center; Tumor Treating Fields in the therapy of spinal
metastases
- Suhe Wang, M.D., Ph.D.; University of Michigan; Natural
electrical fields treatment to induce immune modulation in
NSCLC
2021 AACR-Novocure Career Development Awards for Tumor
Treating Fields Research
- Gerben Borst, M.D., Ph.D.; University of Manchester (United
Kingdom); Unraveling the cell cycle effect of TTFields towards
synergistic strategies
- Jared A. Weis, Ph.D.; Wake Forest University; Characterizing
effects of TTFields on cell-extracellular matrix biophysics
About Tumor Treating Fields
Tumor Treating Fields, or TTFields, are electric fields that
disrupt cancer cell division.
When cancer develops, rapid and uncontrolled division of
unhealthy cells occurs. Electrically charged proteins within the
cell are critical for cell division, making the rapidly dividing
cancer cells vulnerable to electrical interference. All cells are
surrounded by a bilipid membrane, which separates the interior of
the cell, or cytoplasm, from the space around it. This membrane
prevents low frequency electric fields from entering the cell.
TTFields, however, have a unique frequency range, between 100 to
500 kHz, enabling the electric fields to penetrate the cancer cell
membrane. As healthy cells differ from cancer cells in their
division rate, geometry and electric properties, the frequency of
TTFields can be tuned to specifically affect the cancer cells while
leaving healthy cells mostly unaffected.
Whether cells are healthy or cancerous, cell division, or
mitosis, is the same. When mitosis starts, charged proteins within
the cell, or microtubules, form the mitotic spindle. The spindle is
built on electric interaction between its building blocks. During
division, the mitotic spindle segregates the chromosomes, pulling
them in opposite directions. As the daughter cells begin to form,
electrically polarized molecules migrate towards the midline to
make up the mitotic cleavage furrow. The furrow contracts and the
two daughter cells separate. TTFields can interfere with these
conditions. When TTFields are present in a dividing cancer cell,
they cause the electrically charged proteins to align with the
directional forces applied by the field, thus preventing the
mitotic spindle from forming. Electrical forces also interrupt the
migration of key proteins to the cell midline, disrupting the
formation of the mitotic cleavage furrow. Interfering with these
key processes disrupts mitosis and can lead to cell death.
TTFields is intended principally for use together with other
standard-of-care cancer treatments. There is a growing body of
evidence that supports TTFields’ broad applicability with certain
other cancer therapies, including radiation therapy, certain
chemotherapies and certain immunotherapies. In clinical research
and commercial experience to date, TTFields has exhibited no
systemic toxicity, with mild to moderate skin irritation being the
most common side effect.
Fundamental scientific research extends across two decades and,
in all preclinical research to date, TTFields has demonstrated a
consistent anti-mitotic effect. The TTFields global development
program includes a network of preclinical collaborators and a broad
range of clinical trials across all phases, included four phase 3
pivotal trials in a variety of tumor types. To date, more than
18,000 patients have been treated with TTFields.
About Novocure
Novocure is a global oncology company working to extend survival
in some of the most aggressive forms of cancer through the
development and commercialization of its innovative therapy, Tumor
Treating Fields (TTFields). TTFields are electric fields that
disrupt cancer cell division. Novocure’s commercialized products
are approved for the treatment of adult patients with glioblastoma
and malignant pleural mesothelioma. Novocure has ongoing clinical
trials investigating Tumor Treating Fields in brain metastases,
gastric cancer, glioblastoma, liver cancer, non-small cell lung
cancer, pancreatic cancer and ovarian cancer.
Headquartered in Jersey, Novocure has U.S. operations in
Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Malvern, Pennsylvania and New York City.
Additionally, the company has offices in Germany, Switzerland,
Japan and Israel. For additional information about us, follow
@Novocure on LinkedIn and Twitter.
About the American Association for Cancer Research
Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research
(AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization
dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent
and cure cancer. AACR membership includes 48,000 laboratory,
translational, and clinical researchers; population scientists;
other health care professionals; and patient advocates residing in
127 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of
the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention,
diagnosis, and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than
30 conferences and educational workshops—the largest of which is
the AACR Annual Meeting, with more than 74,000 attendees for the
2020 virtual meetings and more than 22,500 attendees for past
in-person meetings. In addition, the AACR publishes nine
prestigious, peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for
cancer survivors, patients, and their caregivers. The AACR funds
meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with
numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand
Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants
administration, and scientific oversight of team science and
individual investigator grants in cancer research that have the
potential for near-term patient benefit. The AACR actively
communicates with legislators and other policymakers about the
value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving
lives from cancer. For more information about the AACR, visit
www.AACR.org.
Forward-Looking Statements
In addition to historical facts or statements of current
condition, this press release may contain forward-looking
statements. Forward-looking statements provide Novocure’s current
expectations or forecasts of future events. These may include
statements regarding anticipated scientific progress on its
research programs, clinical trial progress, development of
potential products, interpretation of clinical results, prospects
for regulatory approval, manufacturing development and
capabilities, market prospects for its products, coverage,
collections from third-party payers and other statements regarding
matters that are not historical facts. You may identify some of
these forward-looking statements by the use of words in the
statements such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,”
“intend,” “plan,” “believe” or other words and terms of similar
meaning. Novocure’s performance and financial results could differ
materially from those reflected in these forward-looking statements
due to general financial, economic, environmental, regulatory and
political conditions as well as issues arising from the COVID-19
pandemic and other more specific risks and uncertainties facing
Novocure such as those set forth in its Annual Report on Form 10-K
filed on February 25, 2021 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission. Given these risks and uncertainties, any or all of
these forward-looking statements may prove to be incorrect.
Therefore, you should not rely on any such factors or
forward-looking statements. Furthermore, Novocure does not intend
to update publicly any forward-looking statement, except as
required by law. Any forward-looking statements herein speak only
as of the date hereof. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995 permits this discussion.
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