Press Release Source: Cell Therapeutics, Inc.
Cell Therapeutics Honored with Keynote Address on XYOTAX(TM) at International Symposium on Polymer Therapeutics
Thursday January 8, 7:01 am ET
Polymer's Unique Mechanism of Action May Enhance Drug's Cancer Fighting Effects While Minimizing Toxicities
SEATTLE, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- At the 6th International Symposium on Polymer Therapeutics in Cardiff, Wales, Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: CTIC - News; CTI) was honored with a keynote presentation on XYOTAX, CTI's drug candidate that links paclitaxel, the active chemotherapy agent used in Taxol®, to a water soluble, biodegradable, polyglutamate polymer. In his keynote address Jack W. Singer, M.D. Vice President and Research Chair at CTI explained that XYOTAX was developed to provide a potentially more effective treatment with fewer toxicities. To date, more than 1200 patients have been treated with XYOTAX in clinical trials.
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"Based on data from preclinical studies it appears that XYOTAX patients have approximately 100 times less free paclitaxel in their blood stream than patients receiving an equivalent dose of marketed paclitaxel products," said Singer. "This unique profile may be responsible for the lack of hair loss and the markedly lower incidence of severe neutropenia observed in clinical studies with XYOTAX."
Singer explained that data from nonclinical studies show that the biodegradable, polyglutamate polymer allows the chemotherapy to penetrate the tumor cell through a mechanism unique to this polymer delivering the cancer fighting agent directly to the heart of tumor. Once localized in the tumor cell, enzymes in the tumor (cathepsinB) play a key role in digesting the polymer, releasing higher levels of paclitaxel in the tumor cell than are achievable with equivalent doses of marketed paclitaxel products.
In addition to the XYOTAX data, Singer also presented an overview of preclinical data on CT-2106, a polymer-linked camptothecin. He said this research shows early evidence of anti-tumor activity and predictable toxicity for CT-2106, which is expected to enter phase II trials this year. XYOTAX is in phase III development for non-small cell lung cancer and entering into phase III development for ovarian cancer. It is also being studied in combination with radiation in solid tumors |
