>>SAN DIEGO, Dec. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- In four presentations at the 45th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) scientists presented data on a novel cancer target from Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (CTI) (Nasdaq: CTIC - News), LPAAT-beta. LPAAT-beta produces a lipid called phosphatidic acid (PA), an essential cofactor for activity Raf and mTOR, two molecules which are critical to tumor growth and survival. CTI scientists have found that although LPAAT-beta is minimally expressed in most normal tissue, it is highly expressed in many cancers including lung, ovarian, prostate, bladder and cervical cancers as well as in leukemias and lymphomas. Non-clinical research presented at ASH shows that LPAAT-beta inhibitors are cytotoxic to leukemia and lymphoma cell lines as well as multiple myeloma cell lines. Activity was also demonstrated against samples obtained from patients with multiple myeloma and chronic myelogenous leukemia.
"The research into LPAAT-beta has been supported by the work of a number of prestigious cancer investigators, which speaks to importance of this potential new target," said Jack W. Singer, MD, Executive Vice President and Research Program Chair of CTI. "We're encouraged by the preliminary, non-clinical data that we have seen coming out of the studies presented at ASH and look forward to advancing the research of this target."
Presentation Details:
In an oral presentation, John M. Pagel, M.D., of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, provided data evaluating the anti-proliferative effects of LPAAT-beta inhibitors alone or in combination with rituximab in vitro in human lymphoma cell lines and in vivo in mice models. Based on this investigation, small molecule LPAAT-beta inhibitors in combination with rituximab appear to provide enhanced therapeutic effects through apoptotic mechanisms.
Kenneth Mills, M.D. of Cardiff University's School of Bioscience provided data on a study of LPAAT-beta inhibitors in human acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell lines and their all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) resistant sub clones. Mills concluded that LPAAT-beta plays an important role in AML cell survival and the effect of the inhibitors on ATRA-sensitive and -resistant cell lines suggests that LPAAT-beta inhibitors may provide a novel therapy for resistant disease.
Nikhil C. Munshi, M.D. of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute presented data on his study of LPAAT-beta inhibitors of human multiple myeloma cells and demonstrated for the first time that inhibiting LPAAT-beta induces cytotoxicity in multiple myeloma cells.
Michael W. Deininger, M.D. of Oregon Health & Science University presented the results of in vitro investigation of an LPAAT-beta inhibitor in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) cells versus the inhibitor's activity in normal human cells. The study reported on culture conditions in which the inhibitors killed CML stem cells but not normal stem cells.
About LPAAT-beta
LPAAT-beta is an enzyme, initially cloned by CTI scientists, that regulates the production of a lipid known as phosphatidic acid (PA), shown to be critical for the activation of several key oncologic pathways, including the Ras/Raf/ERK pathway and the Akt/mTOR pathway. Enhanced expression of LPAAT-beta is associated with increased tumorigenicity while its inhibition induces tumor cell death through apoptosis.<<
snip
The short portfolio has closed its position in CTIC for a minor profit. This came out a bit later and seems to be bringing the stock of the day's bottom. Let the pixanthrone news flow!
Cheers, Tuck |
