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Biotech / Medical : Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (MLNM) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Icebrg who wrote (1568)	5/30/2003 6:38:04 AM
From: Icebrg	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 3044

MLN518 There were a couple of posts over at Yahoo that raised my interest in this molecule, starting with MLN518 (part 1) by: expos_twins_worldseries 05/29/03 08:37 pm Msg: 37559 of 37573 messages.yahoo.com Millennium does not say very much about this drug candidate and I have not thought it was very interesting. Perhaps it is. MLN518 (formerly known as CT53518) is a novel small molecule drug candidate specifically designed to inhibit the FLT-3 receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK). It is the first compound from the RTK program at Millennium to enter human clinical trials. Approximately 30 % of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have a mutation in their FLT-3 gene, specifically an internal tandem duplication (ITD), which may be implicated in the growth and survival of the leukemia. In preclinical studies, MLN518 selectively killed human FLT-3/ITD-positive AML cancer cells. It is also possible that the activation of the FLT-3 receptor may play a role in patients without a mutation, as leukemia cells express both the FLT-3 receptor and its ligand in a majority of AML patients. Additionally, because MLN518 targets the tyrosine kinases associated with the platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) and c-KIT, as well as FLT-3, it may have broader potential utility for other hematologic malignancies or solid tumors. MLN518 is currently in Phase I clinical trials as a potential treatment for AML. The use of MLN518 to treat AML has been granted fast-track status by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Looking around a little, there is the article referred to in the Yahoo post. *Promising New Therapies for Deadly Form of Leukemia* June 7, 2002— Fresh from successes in the development of the cancer-fighting drug Gleevec, researchers are now setting their sights on a form of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) that carries a bleak prognosis. They have identified two new drugs that inhibit a specific enzyme that drives development of the deadliest form of AML.... hhmi.org A Google search brings up the following article: *Anticancer drugs: Next in line?* Could inhibitors of FLT3 kinase be promising candidates for targeted treatment of acute myelogenous leukaemia? The success of the kinase inhibitor Gleevec in the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukaemia — which is caused by the aberrant activity of the BCR–ABL tyrosine kinase — has given much encouragement for the development of other molecularly targeted therapies. As two reports in Cancer Cell now indicate, inhibitors of the FLT3 kinase, which is mutated in 30% of patients with acute myelogenous leukaemia (AML), could be promising candidates for targeted treatment of this disease.... signaling-gateway.org There is quite an extensive discussion on FLT3 available at Medscape: *Acute Leukemia: Talking Targets, FLT-ing About* medscape.com Checking at the ASCO site we will see two presentation (but not from Millennium). Novartis. 2265 - Oral PKC 412 has activity in patients (pts) with mutant FLT3 acute myeloid leukemia (AML): A phase II trial Cephalon. 779 - Single agent CEP-701, a novel FLT3 inhibitor, shows initial response in patients with refractory acute myeloid leukemia Conclusion: This appears to be an interesting approach. The field is already filling up with competitors and it is questionable how far Millennium will get. They appear to have been a slow starter (the compound came with Cor). Erik