Business
Oncothyreon's PX-478 enhances antitumor effects of radiation therapy in preclinical models of pancreatic and brain cancer
Results Presented at AACR Annual Meeting BELLEVUE, WA, April 15 /CNW/ - Oncothyreon Inc. (Nasdaq:...
About this update from Cascade Copper Corp.
[{"type":"text","content":"\n\n\n\nResults Presented at AACR Annual Meeting\n\n\nBELLEVUE, WA, April 15 /CNW/ - Oncothyreon Inc. (Nasdaq: ONTY) (TSX:ONY)\nannounced today that data from preclinical studies of PX-478, an\ninvestigational small molecule cancer therapy, were presented yesterday by\nDavid L. Schwartz, M.D, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, at\nthe Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in\nSan Diego. The data demonstrate that PX-478 enhances the effect of radiation\ntherapy in xenograft models of both glioma, a form of brain cancer, and\npancreatic cancer. Oncothyreon is currently conducting a Phase 1 clinical\ntrial of PX-478 in patients with advanced metastatic cancer.\n\n\nPX-478 is a small molecule inhibitor of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1\nalpha, a component of the transcription factor HIF-1 that plays a critical\nrole in the cellular response to low oxygen levels (hypoxia). HIF-1 helps to\nrestore normal oxygen levels in part by stimulating the growth of new blood\nvessels into the tumor through the induction of angiogenic agents, including\nvascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Restoration of normal oxygen levels\nhas been shown to counteract the cell-killing effects of radiation therapy.\n\n\nIn the current study, radiation of glioma xenografts led to induction of\nHIF-1 as measured in vivo by HIF-1 dependent PET imaging. PX-478 inhibited\nthis induction of HIF-1 following radiation and sensitized tumor blood vessels\nto durable radiation-mediated disruption. Quantitative analyses of glioma\ncells treated with PX-478 and radiation showed a significant decrease in\nlevels of HIF-1 alpha protein and VEGF compared with radiation alone. PX-478\nin combination with radiation inhibited tumor growth more potently than either\nmodality alone. PX-478 was also shown to enhance the inhibition of tumor\ngrowth by radiation in two pancreatic cancer models.\n\n\nAbout PX-478\n\n\nPX-478 is a novel small molecule compound that inhibits the activity of\nhypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-1 alpha, a component of the transcription\nfactor HIF-1 that controls the expression of a number of genes important for\ngrowth and survival of cancer cells. Genes regulated by HIF-1 contribute to\ndiverse functions including new blood vessel growth (angiogenesis), use of\nglucose for energy, and protection against a...