Gemin X Reports In-Vivo and In-Vitro Efficacy of Small Molecule Apoptosis-Inducers for the Treatment of Cancer
Montréal, QC – November 22, 2002 – Gemin X Biotechnologies Inc. announced today that drug candidates from their proprietary series of anti-cancer compounds exhibited both in vivo and in vitro efficacy against tumors, as well as improved pharmacological properties.The compounds, part of a novel class of Bcl-2 family pan-inhibitors, have previously demonstrated the ability to selectively induce apoptosis in cancer cells and improve survival in animal models. Gemin X scientists presented the data today at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) - National Cancer Institute (NCI) – European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) International Conference in Frankfurt, Germany.
" Gemin X’s extensive efforts in medicinal chemistry have produced several small molecule prototypes, and we are pleased that these compounds have exhibited efficacy in various models," said Gemin X President and Chief Executive Officer Dan Giampuzzi. "We are currently conducting additional studies in animal models with our most promising prototypes, and anticipate selecting our lead candidate for clinical trials by early 2003."
Gemin X’s GX01 compounds are designed to selectively induce apoptosis in cancer cells by inhibiting Bcl-2 family proteins, a validated cancer drug target implicated in up to one-third of all new cancer incidences each year. Gemin X previously reported that one of their GX01 compounds significantly improved survival in mice bearing ovarian tumors and selectively induced apoptosis in cancer cells in vitro . Gemin X’s new data indicate that this compound also inhibited growth of solid tumors in mice. Additionally, the new data show that another GX01 analogue also selectively induced apoptosis in cancer cells without affecting normal cells, and exhibited enhanced anti-tumor activity in mice injected intravenously with the compound.
"Attaining positive data in both cellular and animal models with members of our GX01 family of compounds further validates our Bcl-2 program," said Pierre Beauparlant, Executive Director of Biology and Scientific Development at Gemin X and one of the lead researchers on the studies presented at the conference. "There has been quite a bit of attention lately on the promise of apoptosis in the treatment of cancer, and we are pleased to have been given the opportunity to present our data at this prestigious international conference on cancer."
Apoptosis or programmed cell death, a natural process through which the body eliminates diseased or damaged cells, is frequently suppressed in cancer cells through upregulation of Bcl-2 family proteins. Overexpression of proteins in the Bcl-2 family, a highly validated class of cancer drug targets, is observed in a majority cases in more than a dozen different cancers. By targeting the Bcl-2 pathway, Gemin X’s GX01compounds are designed to restore the normal process of apoptosis, selectively destroying cancer cells without affecting normal cells. The most frequently used cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation, lack this selectivity and, as a result, are associated with severe side effects.
Gemin X Biotechnologies Inc. is a Montreal-based biotechnology company specializing in the discovery and development of novel cancer therapeutics. The Company’s expertise is in apoptosis, the natural process of cell death that protects the body from injured or damaged cells. Using its proprietary discovery platform, Gemin X has identified a family of small-molecule pan-inhibitors of the Bcl-2 family, a class of validated drug targets implicated in B cell lymphoma, breast, lung, prostate and colorectal cancer. Additionally, the Company has programs dedicated to the identification of novel cancer therapeutics that act against p53 defective chemo-resistant cancers. Gemin X was founded in 1997 and employs approximately 40 people.
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