Business
Inspyr Therapeutics Initiates Mipsagargin Combination Therapy Program for Gastric Cancer
Inspyr Therapeutics Initiates Mipsagargin Combination Therapy Program for Gastric Cancer.
About this update from Rebus Hldgs Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"\nWESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Feb. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Inspyr Therapeutics (OTCQB:NSPX), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, today announced the initiation of the second development program for Mipsagargin as part of a combination therapeutic approach.  This new program is focused on the treatment of gastric cancer. \nAs part of the Company’s development plan to evaluate the potential of Mipsagargin in combination with current standard-of-care agents in a number of indications, Inspyr has initiated a preclinical study in gastric cancer PDX tumor models that express varying levels of PSMA, the target of Mipsagargin. In this initial study, Mipsagargin will be evaluated initially in combination with paclitaxel.  In addition, the Company plans to evaluate Mipsagargin in combination with DC101 (Cyramza® surrogate antibody). Both paclitaxel and Cyramza® are approved for the treatment of gastric cancer. The Company expects to share initial results from this initial study in the second half of 2017.Based on the result of this study, Inspyr plans to finalize the design of a clinical study to examine the potential benefits of Mipsagargin in combination with current standard-of-care therapies in patients with gastric cancer.“Combining Mipsagargin with standard-of-care agents offers the potential for enhanced anti-tumor activity, resulting in an improved therapy option for patients with gastric cancer, the fifth most common malignancy and the third most common cause of cancer related deaths worldwide,” said Ronald Shazer, M.D., Inspyr’s Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer. “This preclinical study is the second of several planned studies examining the potential of Mipsagargin as an effective combination agent addressing unmet needs across different types of cancer.”About MipsagarginMipsagargin is a novel clinical stage thapsigargin-based, PSMA-activated prodrug that consists of an analog of thapsigargin coupled to a masking peptide which inhibits its activity until proteolytic cleavage at the tumor site. Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA) is expressed on tumor vasculature endothelial cells in a wide variety of solid tumors. Thapsigargin inhibits the sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum calcium ade...