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Onconova Therapeutics and Pangea Biomed Enter into Research Collaboration to Identify Biomarkers of Response to Rigosertib
Collaboration builds off clinical data demonstrating rigosertib’s activity against PLK1 and may inform a precision medicine approach towards rigosertib’s
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[{"type":"text","content":"Collaboration builds off clinical data demonstrating rigosertib’s activity against PLK1 and may inform a precision medicine approach towards rigosertib’s evaluation in new indications Collaboration will leverage ENLIGHT, a pan-cancer response predictor scalable to all cancer types and all targeted and immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) oncology drugs NEWTOWN, Pa. & TEL AVIV, Israel, March 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Onconova Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ONTX), (“Onconova”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel products for patients with cancer, and Pangea Biomed, a company combining machine learning and deep RNA analysis to expand access to precision oncology, today announced a research collaboration between the companies. The collaboration will leverage Pangea Biomed’s proprietary algorithmic platform, ENLIGHT, with the goal of identifying biomarkers of response to Onconova’s proprietary investigational product candidate rigosertib. Rigosertib has a multi-faceted mechanism of action targeting proteins containing the RAS binding domain, allowing it to modulate the PI3K and PLK1 pathways, as well as the tumor immune microenvironment. Clinical data have suggested the anti-cancer activity of rigosertib plus checkpoint inhibition in KRAS-mutated non-small cell lung cancer, and of rigosertib monotherapy in advanced squamous cell carcinoma complicating recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, an ultra-rare condition driven by PLK1 overexpression. “Rigosertib’s ability to potently inhibit PLK1 and modulate the tumor immune microenvironment confers broad potential to treat a range of solid cancers,” said Steven M. Fruchtman, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Onconova. “By leveraging Pangea’s AI platform to identify predictive biomarkers of response to rigosertib, we aim to inform a precision medicine approach to selecting additional PLK1-dependent tumors and other indications for its potential evaluation. We believe this approach will increase the probability of success for rigosertib’s future development programs.” “Precision medicine is the future of oncology, but gaps in the industry’s current biomarker approaches overly narrow patient populations for promising drugs,” said Pangea Biomed Chief Executive Officer Tuvik Beker, Ph.D. “ENLIGHT goes beyond standard biomarkers ...