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Tonix Pharmaceuticals Announces Licensing Agreement with Columbia University for the Development of Recombinant Trefoil Family Factor 2 (rTFF2), or TNX-1700, for the Treatment of Gastric and Pancreatic Cancers
First-in-Class Biologic for the Treatment of Gastric and Pancreatic Cancers NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp.
About this update from Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp.
[{"type":"text","content":"First-in-Class Biologic for the Treatment of Gastric and Pancreatic Cancers\nNEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp. (Nasdaq: TNXP) (Tonix or the Company), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, today announced that it has obtained an exclusive license from Columbia University for the development of TNX-1700 (rTFF2) for the treatment of gastric and pancreatic cancers. TNX-1700 is a biologic currently in preclinical development. The licensed assets were developed, in part, by Dr. Timothy C. Wang, Chief, Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases, and Director of the Gastrointestinal and Pancreas Cancer Program and Tumor Biology and Microenvironment (TBM) program in the Herbert Irving Cancer Center at Columbia University.\n Tonix’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Seth Lederman, M.D. said, “Tonix is excited to have in-licensed this technology to bring into development. Dr. Wang is an expert in the molecular mechanisms of carcinogenesis and for many years has studied the carcinogenic role of inflammation in modulating stem cell functions. These studies have led to fundamental insights on the role of TFF2 at regulating this process and potentially using rTFF2 to make cancer cells susceptible to checkpoint inhibitors.” Dr. Wang added, “Our research has demonstrated that knockout of the TFF2 gene leads to faster tumor growth, while overexpression of TFF2 markedly suppressed tumor growth by curtailing the proliferation and expansion of myeloid progenitors that would otherwise give rise to myeloid-derived suppressor cells. We believe that the novel mechanism that allows activation of CD8+ T cells, by limiting myeloid cells, may have implications for both cancer prevention and cancer treatment. Furthermore, our modified version of human TFF2 appears to show greater stability and efficacy than native TFF2.” About Trefoil Factor 2 (TFF2) TFF2 is a small secreted protein, encoded by the TFF2 gene in humans, that is expressed in gastrointestinal mucosa where it functions to protect and repair mucosa. TFF2 is also expressed at low levels in splenic immune cells and is now appreciated to have intravascular roles in spleen and in the tumor microenvironment. In gastric cancer, TFF2 is epigenetically silenced, and TFF2 is suggested to be protective against cancer development through several mechan...