Oncology Ventures DRP for identification of patients who benefit from 5-FU treatment – data published in PLOS ONE

Hoersholm, Denmark; May 12th, 2016 – Oncology Venture Sweden AB (OV:ST) announces that positive data on the in-licensed technology from Medical Prognosis Institute, the Drug Response Predictor (DRP), has been published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE with the title: “Cell line derived 5-FU and irinotecan drug-sensitivity profiles evaluated in adjuvant colon cancer trial data”. Data from a prospective randomized clinical trial was analyzed with the unique DRP™ tool. The DRP for 5-FU could identify which patients benefitted from treatment with 5-FU. When looking at overall survival the patients with the most positive predictor have twice the survival rate of the patients with poor prediction.

“The publication in PLOS ONE is an important mile stone documenting the solid data on the Drug Response Predictor – DRP™ – both demonstrated in prospective, retrospective and blinded clinical studies – this time in collaboration with an international well known academic group. All calculations were done by external researchers that are independent from MPI” said Adjunct professor Peter Buhl Jensen, M.D., DMSc and CEO of Oncology Venture.

“5-FU is one of the most important chemotherapeutics which is widely used around the world – and yet there is until now no biomarker in clinic to tell whether a patient is likely to benefit from the treatment or not. I believe that the specific DRP™ has potential to increase the survival rate for certain cancer patients,” Peter Buhl Jensen further added.

In this international collaboration between MPI and two independent public science groups gene expression from tumors from 636 stage III colon cancer patients was evaluated. Conclusion were that “The 5-FU predictor was prognostic in stage III patients in PETACC-3 but not in stage II patients with no adjuvant therapy. This suggests a potential predictive ability of the 5-FU sensitivity profile to identify colon cancer patients who may benefit from 5-FU.”

Selected data from the publication shows that the 5-FU specific DRP™ in PETACC-3 showed a statistically significant association with relapse free survival (RFS) (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.54 (0.41-0.71), p<1e-05) and overall survival (HR = 0.47 (0.34-0.63), p<1e-06). The effect of the 5-FU profile remained significant in a multivariable model, adjusting for several relevant clinical and tissue specific parameters.

About the Drug Response Predictor -DRP™ - screening tool

Oncology Venture uses the MPI DRP™ to select those patients that by the gene signature in their cancer is found to have a high likelihood of response to the drug. The goal is to develop the drug for the right patients and by screening patients before treatment the response rate can be significantly increased.

This DRP™ method builds on the comparison of sensitive vs. resistant human cancer cell lines including genomic information from cell lines combined with clinical tumor biology and clinical correlates in a systems biology network. The DRP™ based on microRNA is used on certain products where the DRP™ based on messenger RNA is more broadly useable and more validated.

Please find the full publication on: PLOS ONE

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About Oncology Venture Sweden AB
Oncology Venture Sweden AB is engaged in the research and development of anti-cancer drugs via its wholly owned Danish subsidiary Oncology Venture ApS. Oncology Venture has a license to use Drug Response Prediction – DRP™ – in order to significantly increase the probability of success in clinical trials. DRP™ has proven its ability to provide a statistically significant prediction of clinical outcomes from drug treatment in cancer patients in 29 of the 37 clinical studies that were examined. The Company uses a model that alters the odds in comparison with traditional pharmaceutical development. Instead of treating all patients with a particular type of cancer, patients are screened first and only those who are most likely to respond to the treatment will be treated. Via a more well-defined patient group, the risk and costs are reduced while the development process becomes more efficient.

The current product portfolio: LiPlaCis an intelligent liposomal formulation of cisplatin for Breast Cancer, Irofulven developed from a fungus for prostate cancer and APO010 – an immuno- oncology product for Multiple Myeloma.