HOUSTON, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Moleculin
Biotech, Inc., (Nasdaq: MBRX) ("Moleculin" or the "Company"), a
clinical stage pharmaceutical company with a broad portfolio of
drug candidates, today announced that independent research found
2-deoxy-D-glucose ("2-DG") to reduce replication of SARS-CoV-2, the
virus that causes COVID-19, by 100% in in vitro testing.
Researchers at the University of Frankfurt disclosed the findings in their
article submitted to NatureResearch on March
11, 2020 (Bojkova, D et al; DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-17218/v1)
(https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-17218/v1). The authors
reported that inhibiting glycolysis with non-toxic concentrations
of 2-DG completely prevented SARS-CoV–2 replication in Caco–2
cells. Glycolysis is a process by which cells convert glucose
into energy and infected (host) cells are induced by viruses to
dramatically increase their dependence on glycolysis. 2-DG
inhibits glycolysis because, although it appears to cells to be
glucose, it is in fact a decoy that cannot be converted into
energy.
Moleculin's drug candidate, WP1122, is referred to as a
"prodrug" of 2-DG whereby chemical elements are added to 2-DG to
improve its delivery in vivo. Once administered, these added
elements are removed by normal metabolic processes and what remains
is 2-DG. As a result, 2-DG is the active compound in WP1122.
In chemical terms, it is referred to as the active "moiety"
(subpart) of WP1122.
"This is the breakthrough we were looking for, only it came from
an unexpected source," commented Walter
Klemp, Chairman and CEO of Moleculin. "Normally, we wouldn't
have access to data like this until it is published, but the
willingness of the authors to pre-release this data will help
support our development of WP1122 for treating COVID-19."
Dr. Don Picker, Chief Science
Officer of Moleculin explained: "2-DG is what we call the 'active
moiety' in WP1122. The problem with 2-DG is that it is
metabolized by the body too quickly, so you can't get enough
concentration in human tissues and organs to be therapeutic.
Therefore, even though 2-DG is active against a range of viruses,
including SARS-CoV-2, it isn't useful as a clinical therapy because
it's too rapidly metabolized. WP1122 appears to solve this
problem because it is a 'prodrug' of 2-DG. Its structure
enables it to achieve much higher tissue/organ concentrations than
2-DG alone, but once it's in the cell, it metabolizes into the
exact same 2-DG that is so effective in vitro."
Moleculin's Chief Medical Officer – New Projects, Dr.
Sandra Silberman added: "The FDA has
cleared the way for very rapid development of COVID-19 therapies,
so we should be able to move WP1122 into the clinics on an
expedited basis. Fortunately, it has a very good safety
profile in mice. We are in the process of demonstrating
safety in additional species before submitting our IND
(Investigational New Drug application). Since it has better
drug-like properties than 2-DG, WP1122 also actually works better
in the animal tumor models we have been studying. We think this
bodes well for its potential as a more potent drug than 2-DG as an
antiviral agent against coronavirus."
About Moleculin Biotech, Inc.
Moleculin Biotech, Inc.
is a clinical stage pharmaceutical company focused on the
development of a broad portfolio of oncology drug candidates for
the treatment of highly resistant tumors and viruses. The Company's
clinical stage drugs are: Annamycin, a Next Generation
Anthracycline designed to avoid multidrug resistance mechanisms
with little to no cardiotoxicity, being studied for the treatment
of relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia, more commonly
referred to as AML; WP1066, an Immune/Transcription Modulator
capable of inhibiting p-STAT3 and other oncogenic transcription
factors while also stimulating a natural immune response, under
investigation for brain tumors, pancreatic cancer and hematologic
malignancies; and WP1220, an analog to WP1066, being developed for
the topical treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Moleculin is
also engaged in preclinical development of additional drug
candidates, including additional Immune/Transcription Modulators,
as well as WP1122, a compound capable of Metabolism/Glycosylation
Inhibition.
For more information about the Company, please
visit http://www.moleculin.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Some of the statements in
this release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of
Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve risks and
uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this press release
include, without limitation, the ability of the Company's IND for
WP1122 to be allowed by the FDA and for WP1122 to demonstrate
safety and efficacy in humans. Although Moleculin believes that the
expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are
reasonable as of the date made, expectations may prove to have been
materially different from the results expressed or implied by such
forward-looking statements. Moleculin Biotech has attempted to
identify forward-looking statements by terminology including
''believes,'' ''estimates,'' ''anticipates,'' ''expects,''
''plans,'' ''projects,'' ''intends,'' ''potential,'' ''may,''
''could,'' ''might,'' ''will,'' ''should,'' ''approximately'' or
other words that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes to
identify these forward-looking statements. These statements are
only predictions and involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties, and other factors, including those discussed under
Item 1A. "Risk Factors" in our most recently filed Form 10-K filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and updated
from time to time in our Form 10-Q filings and in our other public
filings with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements
contained in this release speak only as of its date. We undertake
no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in
this release to reflect events or circumstances occurring after its
date or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. The
Company cautions investors not to place undue reliance on the
interim results announced today.
Contacts
James
Salierno / Carol Ruth
The Ruth Group
646-536-7028 / 7000
jsalierno@theruthgroup.com
cruth@theruthgroup.com
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SOURCE Moleculin Biotech, Inc.