Philadelphia, PA (February 16, 2016) - Oncoceutics, Inc. announced the publication of companion research articles in the American Association for the Advancement of Science journal Science Signaling that describe ONC201's ability to uniquely activate the integrated stress response, a powerful anti-cancer signaling pathway. The companion articles from leading groups at MD Anderson Cancer Center and Fox Chase Cancer Center, headed by Drs. Michael Andreeff and Wafik El-Deiry, describe research studies that independently arrived at similar findings in liquid and solid tumors.
The two researchers' groups carried out a series of in-vitro and in-vivo efficacy experiments with ONC201 and ultimately uncovered a novel and central aspect of its mechanism by analyzing gene expression profiles in lymphoma and colorectal cancers. Their data demonstrate that ONC201 has a distinct way to engage the integrated stress response that upregulates a host of proteins that induce tumor cell death and inhibit the synthesis of proteins that are key for cancer growth.
This newly clarified upstream element of the ONC201 mechanism corroborates and provides further support for the selection of the initial oncology indications that Oncoceutics is pursuing in clinical trials, including lymphomas and multiple myeloma as well as certain solid tumors, such as glioblastoma and prostate cancer, that are particularly susceptible to the integrated stress response. The engagement of this particular pathway has proven to be effective with currently commercialized oncology drugs such as proteasome inhibitors. However, the way ONC201 activates the integrated response is distinct from other drugs on the market, allowing it to retain efficacy against tumors that generate resistance to other therapies, synergize with other therapies, and exhibit a superior safety profile.
This is a ONC201 3-D molecular structure. Credit: Oncoceutics, Inc.
"Having two different leading research groups independently arrive at the same conclusion regarding the role of the integrated stress response in the mechanism of ONC201 provides a key piece of information to understand how this novel drug works," said Joseph Bertino, MD, Chief Scientific Officer of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and member of the Oncoceutics' Scientific Advisory Board. "The unique way in which ONC201 targets previously validated pathways, combined with ONC201's excellent safety profile and ease of oral administration, demonstrates ONC201's potential to be an important oncology therapeutic."
source: Oncoceutics, Inc.