LIXTE BIOTECHNOLOGY HOLDINGS, INC. REPORTS THAT ITS LEAD CLINICAL COMPOUND, LB-100, CAN KILL CANCER CELLS THROUGH HYPER-STIMULATION OF CELL PROLIFERATION SIGNALS IN PRE-CLINICAL MODELS
February 07 2023 - 12:16PM
LIXTE Biotechnology Holdings, Inc. (“LIXTE” or the “Company”)
(Nasdaq: LIXT) noted that a team of scientists headed by Professor
Rene Bernards at the Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam and
member of the Board of Directors of LIXTE reported that in three
difficult to treat cancer types, LIXTE’s lead clinical compound,
LB-100, combined with an inhibitor of the WEE1 kinase, causes
unexpectedly effective cancer cell killing. Most surprisingly, when
cancer cells acquire resistance to this combination therapy, they
have highly reduced cancer-causing capacity in animal models. This
observation indicates that this LB-100 combination therapy can
force cells to give up their cancer-causing properties to acquire
drug resistance.
John S. Kovach, M.D., CEO and Founder of LIXTE,
and a co-author of the report in
BioRxiv (https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.02.06.527335v1)
entitled “Paradoxical activation of oncogenic signaling as a cancer
treatment strategy” commented, “Over the past 20 years, efforts to
develop better cancer therapies have focused on inhibiting the
stimulatory effects of the oncogenes, but such therapies often
deliver only modest benefit to patients with advanced cancer due to
development of resistance. Dr. Matheus Henrique Dias, working in
the laboratory of Professor Rene Bernards at the Netherlands Cancer
Institute, Amsterdam, and an international team of collaborators,
have now shown that treatment of cancer cells with Lixte’s unique
lead clinical compound, LB-100, rather than inhibiting, further
stimulates the signals that drive cancer cell proliferation, but
paradoxically, impeding cell proliferation.”
Dr. Kovach continued, “The authors also show
that combination of LB-100 with an inhibitor of WEE1, a regulator
of stress responses in the cell, leads to highly efficient cancer
cell death in three hard-to-treat cancer models: colorectal,
pancreatic, and bile duct carcinomas. The Bernards’ group contends
that this paradoxical result stems from the fact that the survival
of cancer cells depends on a balance between activated oncogenic
pathways driving tumorigenesis and engagement of stress-response
programs that counteract the inherent toxicity of such aberrant
signaling. Normal cells, which are not in proliferation overdrive
in the first place, apparently can tolerate transient
overstimulating signaling much better than cancer cells. The
combination of LB-100 and WEE1 inhibition suppressed the growth of
patient-derived tumors refractory to conventional therapies and was
associated with only modest toxicity in animal models.”
Dr. Kovach concluded, “Intriguingly, the authors
present evidence to indicate that cancer cells that become
resistant to this LB-100 combination therapy do so by losing some
important cancer cell characteristics and are less cancerous in
animal models. This “tumor suppressive drug resistance” still needs
to be demonstrated in patients. However, given the safety profile
in animal models of LB-100 in combination with WEE1 inhibition,
this hypothesis should be readily testable in the clinic.”
About LIXTE Biotechnology Holdings,
Inc.
LIXTE Biotechnology Holdings, Inc. is a
clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on new targets for
cancer drug development and developing and commercializing cancer
therapies. Major drivers of cancer are defects in the switches that
turn the biochemical pathways in cells on or off. Most cancer
research over the past 30 years has focused on the "on" switches
because the "off" switches, especially the master "off" switch
protein phosphatase (PP2A), were believed to cause intolerable
toxicity in patients. LIXTE has achieved a breakthrough with its
novel, first-in-class lead clinical compound and PP2A inhibitor,
LB-100, demonstrating that LB-100 is readily tolerated in cancer
patients at doses associated with anti-cancer activity. Based on
extensive published preclinical data (see www.lixte.com),
LB-100 has the potential to significantly improve outcomes for
patients undergoing various chemotherapies or immunotherapies.
LIXTE's new approach has no known competitors and is covered by a
comprehensive patent portfolio. Initial proof-of-concept clinical
trials are in progress.
Forward-Looking Statements
This announcement contains certain
forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the
Securities Act of 1933, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934. For example, statements regarding the Company's
financial position, business strategy and other plans and
objectives for future operations, and assumptions and predictions
about future activities, including the continuing development of
proprietary compounds, the planning, funding, coordination and
potential results of clinical trials, and the patent and legal
costs to protect and maintain the Company's intellectual property
worldwide, are all forward-looking statements. These statements are
generally accompanied by words such as "intend," anticipate,"
"believe," "estimate," "potential(ly)," "continue," "forecast,"
"predict," "plan," "may," "will," "could," "would," "should,"
"expect" or the negative of such terms or other comparable
terminology. The Company believes that the assumptions and
expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are
reasonable, based on information available to it on the date
hereof, but the Company cannot provide assurances that these
assumptions and expectations will prove to have been correct or
that the Company will take any action that the Company may
presently be planning. However, these forward-looking statements
are inherently subject to known and unknown risks and
uncertainties. Actual results or experience may differ materially
from those expected or anticipated in the forward-looking
statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such
differences include, but are not limited to, regulatory policies,
available cash, research results, competition from other similar
businesses, and market and general economic factors. This
discussion should be read in conjunction with the Company's filings
with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission
at https://www.sec.gov.
For more information about
LIXTE, Contact:info@lixte.comGeneral Phone: (631)
830-7092Investor Phone: (888) 289-5533
or
PondelWilkinson Inc. Investor
Relationspwinvestor@pondel.comRoger Pondel: (310) 279-5965Laurie
Berman: (310) 279-5962
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