A Novel Class of Compounds Presented at an International Cancer Conference
Brisbane, Australia: Monday November 14, 2005, Progen Industries Limited (ASX: PGL, NASDAQ: PGLAF) announced this week the discovery of a novel class of anti-angiogenic compounds from its drug discovery program at an international cancer research conference in the United States.
Anti-angiogenic compounds work by destroying or interfering with the fine network of blood vessels required for tumor growth. The new class of compounds is the next- generation of heparan sulfate (HS) mimetics.
Pre-clinical data was presented at the AACR special conference in cancer research entitled “Anti-Angiogenesis and Drug Delivery to Tumors: Bench to Bedside and Back”, in Massachusetts,USA. The data demonstrate that selected compounds inhibited heparanase and bound to the pro-angiogenic growth factors VEGF, FGF-1 and FGF-2.
The compounds were tested in several models of angiogenesis and demonstrated in vitro and in vivo anti-angiogenic activity and suitable pharmacokinetic profiles.
“The aim of our drug discovery program is to expand Progen’s drug pipeline as well as to extend the life of PI-88. The first results from our drug discovery program look exciting,” said Dr. Anand Gautam, Vice-President, Research & Development. “We plan to optimize the compounds and conduct further research in relevant disease models before selecting a lead compound for formal toxicity studies and pursuing an IND for clinical trials.”
Progen’s drug discovery program has been supported by an A$3.1M AusIndustry START grant and the A$3.4M AusIndustry Commercial Ready grant awarded in August 2005. “This is the first class of compounds to emerge from our internal drug discovery efforts,” commented Lewis Lee, Managing Director of Progen. “These new compounds may have broad applications in cancer, ocular diseases such as diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration, and inflammatory disease. We look forward to expanding our pipeline in the near future.”
For the full poster details:
progen.com.au
About PI-88: PI-88 is one of a new class of multi-targeted cancer therapeutics inhibiting both angiogenesis or tumor promoting factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor, fibroblast growth factors 1 and 2, and heparanase, an enzyme implicated in metastasis (tumor spread).
PI-88 is currently being studied in Phase II clinical trials in the U. S. and Australia under an active company-sponsored Investigational New Drug application, or IND, with the United
States Food and Drug Administration, or FDA.
About Progen: Progen Industries Limited is an Australian based globally focused biotechnology company committed to the discovery, development and commercialisation of small molecule pharmaceuticals for the treatment of cancer and other serious diseases.
Progen’s three key areas of focus are:
• Clinical Development - via a focused clinical trial program involving its two compounds PI-88 and PI-166.
• Drug Discovery - projects focusing on the development of potent, selective inhibitors of carbohydrate-protein interactions, which are implicated in many disease processes.
• Commercial Services - manufacturing biopharmaceutical products to global standards.
Keywords - Progen, cancer, drug discovery, PI-88, ngiogenesis, heparanase |
