>>BALTIMORE, April 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Guilford Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: GLFD - News) announced today that the company presented two poster presentations at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting this week in Orlando, Florida. The presentations featured research results from Guilford's Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor program, which is developing proprietary PARP inhibitors to treat cancer and ischemia.
Dr. Barbara Slusher, Senior Vice President of Research and Toxicology at Guilford, commented, "The results we presented this week confirm the value of developing PARP inhibitors for chemosensitization and radiosensitization in cancer treatment. Data from our preclinical studies indicate that administration of our orally biovailable, soluble, and highly brain penetrable lead PARP inhibitor, GPI 15427, enhances the anti-tumor efficacy of both chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Significant efficacy with GPI 15427 was observed as a chemosensitizer with temezolomide in a brain metastatic melanoma model and as a radiosensitizer in a model of head and neck cancer."
Dr. Slusher continued, "Importantly, this work was supported by three outside grants allowing Guilford to focus its internal resources on our lead clinical development programs, in particular, AQUAVAN® Injection, a novel sedative/hypnotic, and GPI 1485, a novel investigational new drug for the potential treatment of Parkinson's disease and post-prostatectomy erectile dysfunction. In this way, we can continue to advance, earlier-stage breakthrough science while focusing our resources on our later-stage development programs."
PARP Presentations
Guilford's Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor program aims at developing proprietary PARP inhibitors for treating cancer and ischemia. The essential role of PARP in facilitating DNA repair, mediating cell death and regulating immune response make the enzyme a novel drug target candidate for a broad spectrum of diseases. In various cancer models, Guilford's PARP inhibitors have been shown to potentiate radiation therapy and chemotherapy by increasing apoptosis of cancer cells, limiting tumor growth, decreasing metastasis, and prolonging the survival of tumor-bearing animals.
Preclinical data presented this week at the AACR meeting demonstrate that the company's lead, orally available PARP inhibitor, GPI 15427, can cross the blood-brain barrier and induce significant enhancement of the anti-tumor efficacy of temozolomide, an oral anti-cancer drug. Similarly, GPI 15427, when administered either orally or by IV injection, can enhance the effect of radiation in a model of head and neck cancer.
Presentations from Guilford's PARP program included:
1. GPI 15427, a PARP-1 Inhibitor, Enhances Radiation Treatment in a Human
Xenograft Head and Neck Cancer Model. G. Li; X. Li; J. Zhang; W. Xu;
D. Calvin; L. Morgan; Z. Tang; K.M. Wozniak; C. Alemu; R. Hoover; B.
O'Malley, Jr.; R.G. Lapidus; D. Li. Guilford Pharmaceuticals,
Baltimore, MD and Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery,
University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD
2. Oral Administration of the PARP-1 Inhibitor GPI 15427 Increases the
Anti-tumor Activity of Temozolomide Against Melanoma Growing at the
CNS Site. L. Tentori; C. Leonetti; M. Scarsella; W. Xu; D. Calvin; L.
Morgan; Z. Tang; K.M. Wozniak; C. Alemu; R. Hoover; R.G. Lapidus; G.
Zupi; J. Zhang; G. Graziani. Department of Neuroscience, University
of Rome, Italy; Experimental Clinical Laboratory, Institute for Cancer
Research, and Guilford Pharmaceuticals, Baltimore, MD<<
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I've been busy with other stuff and hadn't noticed the return by Pfizer. Deja vu. Seems like this company keeps on doing a good job peddling interesting science that doesn't work out to pharmas, earning signing fees and a few milestones, but then stuck with a dubious program.
I also remember some article saying that Merck "had neglected" Aggrastat, as if there was an opportunity for a more vigorus campaign to succeed. But several studies I've read comparing Aggrastat to similar products -- such as Integrilin -- seemed to show Aggrastat was inferior in cost/benefit. Maybe Merck neglected the drug for a reason.
With the luster somewhat off of the Aquavan program, I again ask, "What's left?" And I see the above PARP program, still in its infancy, and not much else.
I've looked a long time at this one, and every time I think about leaping, something disappointing stops me.
Cheers, Tuck |
