ONCO-101 may prove effective against ovarian and endometrial
cancer
PHOENIX, Ariz. - May 4, 2011 - The Translational Genomics Research
Institute (TGen) has licensed its first drug, a unique compound
that targets cancer tumors by modifying the actions of
proteins.
Today's announcement is another key fulfillment of TGen's primary
mission: To move laboratory discoveries more rapidly into
therapeutics that can immediately help patients improve their
quality of life.
The drug, ONCO-101, is being licensed to Oncoholdings Inc., a
Syracuse, N.Y.-based pharmaceutical company focused on the
acquisition and development of innovative anti-cancer
compounds.
Oncoholdings, in turn, has contracted with a TGen subsidiary,
Scottsdale-based TGen Drug Development (TD2), to help guide
continued pre-clinical tests, and eventually move ONCO-101 into
first-in-human clinical trials, where it could immediate help
cancer patients.
"This milestone is a significant accomplishment that validates the
clinical groundwork we established when forming TGen," said Dr.
Jeffrey Trent, TGen President and Research Director. "Because
ONCO-101 could potentially change the way patients with ovarian and
endometrial cancer are treated, we hope this is but the first of
many compounds that benefit patients battling life-threatening
illnesses."
Licensing ONCO-101 comes nearly 9 years after the establishment of
TGen, an integral piece of Arizona's bioscience initiative. The
goals of that initiative are to: enable scientific discoveries;
improve the quality of health care, especially for Arizona
residents; and diversifying the state's knowledge-based
economy.
Former Phoenix Mayor Skip Rimsza, a founding member of the TGen
Board of Directors, said the licensing of TGen's first drug shows
that investing in knowledge-based businesses will benefit Arizonans
for years to come.
"From the very start of then-Gov. Jane Hull's Arizona BioInitiative
Task Force, we had faith in Dr. Trent's ability to help show that
Arizona could be a national, and international, leader in
bioscience research," said Rimsza, now a member of the Board of
Directors of the TGen Foundation. "Today's announcement about
ONCO-101 is the first of what we believe will be many new,
highly-advanced treatments for a variety of diseases that will
result from TGen's intricate examinations of the human genome; our
DNA."
ONCO-101 was developed at TGen in the course of research into the
design of drugs that selectively target key proteins involved in
cancers.
TGen granted Oncoholdings the exclusive license to further develop
ONCO-101, an epigenetic agent, or compound, that decides how active
proteins become. Currently, there are only four epigenetic drugs on
the market, and they are only approved to treat blood cancers.
ONCO-101 would be the first epigenetic agent to attack solid
tumors.
"This class of therapeutic agents has yet to find its place in the
market for the treatment of solid tumors," according to Jeffrey
Evans, Ph.D. and Chief Operating Officer of Oncoholdings. "ONCO-101
works by allowing the regular function of normal cells, while
disrupting the ability of abnormal cells to reproduce, effectively
stopping the cancer." Oncoholdings expects to announce the
acquisition of its second group of products in the second quarter
of 2011.
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About Oncoholdings
Oncoholdings, Inc., is a pharmaceutical company focused on
acquiring and developing the most promising preclinical and early
clinical anti-cancer agents. Oncoholdings was founded by some of
the world's leading oncology scientists and leverages the unique
insights and experiences of its founders and world-class scientific
advisory board. For more information, visit:
www.oncoholdings.com.
About TGen
The Translational Genomics Research Institute is a Phoenix,
Arizona-based non-profit organization dedicated to conducting
groundbreaking research with life changing results. Research at
TGen is focused on helping patients with diseases such as cancer,
neurological disorders and diabetes. TGen is on the cutting edge of
translational research where investigators are able to unravel the
genetic components of common and complex diseases. Working with
collaborators in the scientific and medical communities, TGen
believes it can make a substantial contribution to the efficiency
and effectiveness of the translational process. TGen is affiliated
with the Van Andel Research Institute in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
For more information, visit: www.tgen.org.
About TD2
TGen Drug Development (TD2) provides innovative services for
oncology-focused biopharmaceutical companies using a dedicated team
of professionals with broad experience and understanding in drug
development. TD2, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, is uniquely
positioned to support the need for improved and accelerated
development of new chemical entities (NCE's) for life-threatening
diseases. TD2 uses a unique combination of experience gained
through its contract research organization business, and an
integrated suite of proprietary and non-proprietary tools,
preclinical study execution, regulatory affairs assistance,
clinical trial design and management, and drug development experts
to successfully move therapeutics towards regulatory approval. TD2
is dedicated to reducing the risks and uncertainty inherent in the
drug development process. TD2 integrates world-class clinical and
regulatory expertise with "-omic" science and provides unique drug
development services aimed at minimizing the risk for clients in
the Oncology drug development industry. TD2 is a non-profit
subsidiary of the Phoenix-based Translational Genomics Research
Institute (TGen). For more information, visit: www.td2.org.
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Press Contacts:
For Oncoholdings:
Susan Falk
414.232.2562
[email protected]
For TGen:
Steve Yozwiak
TGen Senior Science Writer
602-343-8704
[email protected]