Avalon Pharmaceuticals Nominates Lead Clinical Development Candidate in its Beta-catenin Pathway Inhibitor Program
26 Juin 2008 - 2:00PM
Business Wire
Avalon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:AVRX), announced today the
nomination of AVN316 as a lead clinical development candidate in
its Beta-catenin Pathway Inhibitor program. This novel compound
inhibits the Beta-catenin pathway and is a potent inducer of cancer
cell death. The Company plans to begin clinical testing of AVN316
in patients in 2009. Beta-catenin is one of the most commonly
activated cancer pathways and is known to play a key role in the
initiation and progression of cancer. The Beta-catenin pathway is
upregulated in a large number of different cancer types, in
particular colon cancer, where it has been estimated to be
abnormally activated in at least 90 percent of cases. �The
biological complexity and the classically intractable nature of the
beta-catenin protein have prevented this pathway from being
effectively targeted by conventional drug discovery techniques,
despite the efforts of numerous pharmaceutical companies,� stated
Kenneth Carter, Ph.D., President and CEO of Avalon Pharmaceuticals,
Inc. �We are very pleased to name AVN316 as the lead compound for
this intractable target, which we believe provides validation for
our unique drug discovery platform, AvalonRx�.� Using AvalonRx�,
the Company identified several chemical compound series that
inhibit beta-catenin function. One family of structurally distinct
chemical compounds potently down-regulate the Beta-catenin pathway
by reducing beta-catenin protein levels. This lead compound series
(of which AVN316 is a member) decreases the beta-catenin protein
levels in cancer cells and xenograft tumors, induces biomarkers of
Beta-catenin pathway inhibition, and inhibits tumor growth. AVN316
was chosen from the series for its potency and tumor growth
inhibition properties in animal models of human disease. Near-term
activities with AVN316 include toxicology studies and large-scale
manufacturing in preparation for IND submission to the FDA. About
Avalon Pharmaceuticals Avalon is a biopharmaceutical company
focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of
first-in-class cancer therapeutics. Avalon�s lead product
candidate, AVN944,�an IMPDH inhibitor, is in Phase II clinical
development. Avalon also has preclinical programs to develop
inhibitors of the Beta-catenin and Aurora/Centrosome
pathways,�discovery programs�for�inhibitors of�the Survivin�and
Myc�pathways and partnerships with Merck, MedImmune, ChemDiv,
Medarex, and Novartis. AvalonRx� is the company�s proprietary
platform�which is based on�large-scale�biomarker identification and
monitoring, used to discover and develop therapeutics for pathways
that have historically been characterized as "undruggable." Avalon
is headquartered in Germantown, MD. About AvalonRx� AvalonRx� is a
comprehensive, innovative and proprietary suite of technologies
based upon large-scale gene expression analysis. This platform
facilitates drug discovery by expanding the range of therapeutic
targets for drug intervention, including targets and target
pathways frequently considered intractable using conventional HTS
approaches, allows more informed decisions about which compounds to
advance towards clinical trials, and facilitates drug development
through identification of biomarkers of efficacy that can stratify
patients or provide early indicators of response. Safe Harbor
Statement This announcement contains, in addition to historical
information, certain forward-looking statements that involve risks
and uncertainties including Avalon�s plans to conduct toxicology
studies and large scale manufacturing of AVN316 in preparation for
an IND filing with the FDA and the Company�s plans to begin
clinical testing of AVN316 in patients in 2009. Such statements
reflect the current views of Avalon management and are based on
certain assumptions. Actual results could differ materially from
those currently anticipated as a result of a number of factors,
risks and uncertainties, including those specified under the �Risk
Factors� section of our 2007 Annual Report on Form 10-K and updates
contained in subsequent filings we make with the Securities and
Exchange Commission.
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