Aprea to present phase I/II trial design
2010-05-18
STOCKHOLM, May 18, 2010. Among more than 5000 poster abstracts, Aprea AB has been selected to present a poster at the annual American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Meeting in Chicago. The presentation will describe the scientific rational and design of the ongoing phase I/II clinical trial with Aprea's drug candidate APR-246.
Aprea´s drug candidate APR-246 belongs to a new class of anticancer compounds shown to induce programmed cell death through a p53 mediated mode of action. The compound is currently being tested in a phase I/II clinical trial at seven clinics in Sweden. The study will include approximately 24 patients, and is an open labeled, dose-escalating study on mainly blood cancer patients, but also patients with prostate cancer.
"We are currently initiating the commercialization process and seeking partners. Therefore, it will be very interesting to have the opportunity to present and discuss the clinical study design of this totally new concept of treating cancer", says Charlotta Liljebris, Head of Development at Aprea AB.
For more formation, please contact:
Thomas Uhlin, CEO Aprea AB, +46 705 335 137, e-mail: thomas.uhlin@aprea.com
Charlotta Liljebris, VP Development Aprea AB, +46 703 391 534, charlotta.liljebris@aprea.com
www.aprea.com
TO THE EDITORS
About Aprea
Aprea AB is a Swedish biotech company founded in 2003 and based on research performed at the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. The company focuses its activities on discovery and development of novel anticancer compounds targeting the tumor suppressor protein p53. Aberrations in p53 are common in many various cancer forms and are associated with increased resistance to standard chemotherapy and thus poor prognosis. Aprea is a Karolinska Development AB (publ) portfolio company. The other main owners are Industrifonden, Östersjöstiftelsen and Praktikerinvest.
About APR-246
APR-246 has been developed based upon results from researcher at the Karolinska Institute. The researchers have discovered that the substance is more efficacious in cancer cells than normal cells, which indicates it could produce significantly fewer side effects than conventional cancer treatments. By inducing the protein p53 the compound makes sure that the cellular suicide program is activated to eliminate the cancer cells. This has been shown in laboratories and animal studies with good results. A unique characteristic of the substance is that it can activate p53 even when the gene is inactivated due to a mutation. Cancers with mutated p53 are often resistant to conventional treatment.
About Karolinska Development
Karolinska Development manages one of the largest portfolios of life science companies in Europe. Using a unique, highly cost efficient business model, the management team guides the commercialization of world class life science innovations, helping to shape the next generation Pharma industry. Since 2003, Karolinska Development has built a portfolio of some 40 companies; among the company's projects 12 compounds are undergoing clinical trials. The portfolio contains a total of 21 potential first-in-class products. www.karolinskadevelopment.com