Ascenta Therapeutics Highlights Multiple Data Presentations at Upcoming AACR Annual Meeting
SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 13, 2007 - Ascenta Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that its small molecule portfolio of apoptosis-triggering compounds will be featured in three oral presentations and several poster presentations at next week's 2007 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), to be held in Los Angeles, California April 14-18, 2007.Ascenta's MDM2 program has been selected for presentation at the "High Impact Late-Breaking Research 1" session on Tuesday, April 17 (Hall A at 3:30pm) and will be presented by Dajun Yang, MD, PhD, Senior Vice President of Research at Ascenta Therapeutics and General Manager of Ascenta's R&D Subsidiary in Shanghai, China. The MDM2 program will also be featured in a talk on Saturday, April 14 (Petree D at 4:15pm) by University of Michigan's Professor Shaomeng Wang, PhD, a co-founder of Ascenta.
Preclinical studies of AT-101, Ascenta's clinical stage, oral pan-Bcl-2 inhibitor, will be featured in an oral presentation by Dr. Yang on Wednesday, April 18 and in several poster presentations authored by Ascenta personnel and collaborating investigators. In a collaboration with scientists at Human Genome Sciences, Inc., studies of HGSI's TRAIL receptor agonist monoclonal antibodies in combination with Ascenta's small molecule XIAP inhibitors, will be presented in a poster session on Tuesday, April 17 (1pm-5pm). The full schedule of presentations featuring Ascenta's technology is as follows: -0-
Date Time Title Presenter,
Collaborator
--------- --------- ---------------------------------- --------------
Saturday 4:15pm Potent, specific, non-peptidic Shaomeng Wang,
April 14 small molecule inhibitors of the PhD, U.
Human MDM2-p53 interaction as a Michigan
new class of anticancer therapy
--------- --------- ---------------------------------- --------------
Sunday 8am-12pm Synergistic inhibition of tumor Xiongwen Zhang
April 15 growth by combined treatment with MD, PhD
the pan Bcl-2 inhibitor AT-101 Ascenta
and docetaxel in human cancer Therapeutics.
xenograft models
---------------------------------- --------------
A novel small molecular inhibitor Jason Canner
targets the MDM2-p53 interaction DO, Columbus
significantly reducing cell Children's
viability in both embryonal and Hospital
alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma cells
with wild-type p53
--------- ---------------------------------- --------------
1pm-5pm AT-101-induced apoptosis in VCaP Robert Loberg
androgen-sensitive cells is PhD
inhibited by the presence of DHT U. Michigan
---------------------------------- --------------
Synergistic effect of AT-101, an Xiongwen
orally active pan-Bcl-2 family Zhang, MD,
protein inhibitor in combination PhD
with dual-Raf/MEK and VEGFR Ascenta
kinase inhibitor sorafenib Therapeutics
(Nexavar(R))
--------- --------- ---------------------------------- --------------
Tuesday 3:30pm Preclinical characterization of Dajun Yang,
April 17 MI-219, a novel potent oral small MD, PhD
molecule inhibitor of the MDM2- Ascenta
p53 interaction Therapeutics
--------- ---------------------------------- --------------
1pm-5pm Synergistic anti-tumor effect with Nathalie
combination of a novel small Bruey-Sedano,
molecule Smac mimetic compound PhD,
(SM-164) and agonist TRAIL-R Ascenta
monoclonal Abs (mapatumumab & Therapeutics
lexatumumab). Human Genome
Sciences
--------- --------- ---------------------------------- --------------
Wednesday 8:30am- In vivo efficacy of AT-101, an Dajun Yang,
April 18 12pm orally active pan-Bcl-2 family MD, PhD,
protein inhibitor in combination Ascenta
with the ErbB1 tyrosine kinase Therapeutics
inhibitor erlotinib (Tarceva(R))
---------------------------------- --------------
A novel pan inhibitor of Bcl-2 and Xiongwen
Mcl-1, apogossypolone (ApoG2), Zhang, MD,
with superior stability and PhD
improved activity against human Ascenta
leukemia and lymphoma cells. Therapeutics
--------- --------- ---------------------------------- --------------
Date Time Session Type/Location
Abstract #
---------- --------- ----------------------------------- -------------
Saturday 4:15pm Alternative approaches to small Oral
April 14 molecule drug discovery protein- Presentation
protein interaction in Petree D
---------- --------- ----------------------------------- -------------
Sunday 8am-12pm Experimental and Molecular Poster in
April 15 Therapeutics 4 Exhibit
Hall. Poster
section 29.
Abstract #
725
----------------------------------- -------------
Experimental and Molecular Poster in
Therapeutics 4 Exhibit Hall
Board 4-
Poster
Section 21.
Abstract #
509
--------- ----------------------------------- -------------
1pm-5pm Experimental and Molecular Poster in
Therapeutics Exhibit Hall
Poster
Section 9
Abstract #
983
----------------------------------- -------------
Experimental and Molecular Poster in
Therapeutics 9 Exhibit Hall
Poster
Section 28
Abstract #
1452
---------- --------- ----------------------------------- -------------
Tuesday 3:30pm High Impact Late-Breaking Research Oral
April 17 1 Presentation
in Hall A
Abstract #
LB-365
--------- ----------------------------------- -------------
1pm-5pm Experimental and Molecular Poster in
Therapeutics 42 Exhibit Hall
Poster
Section 31
Abstract #
4871
---------- --------- ----------------------------------- -------------
Wednesday 8:30am- Experimental and Molecular Oral
April 18 12pm Therapeutics 51 Presentation
Minisymposium Session
Abstract #
5737
----------------------------------- -------------
Cellular and Molecular Biology 64 Poster in
Exhibit Hall
-Poster
Section 11
Abstract #
5182
---------- --------- ----------------------------------- -------------
Founded in 2003, Ascenta is a privately-held biopharmaceutical company that discovers and develops targeted new medicines for the treatment of cancer. The company has offices in San Diego, California and Malvern, Pennsylvania, and has a preclinical research facility in Shanghai, China. Its technology, licensed from both the National Institutes of Health and the laboratory of Dr. Shaomeng Wang at the University of Michigan, is focused on discovering molecules that hit vulnerable targets in endogenous apoptosis pathways to shut down cell growth and proliferation in cancer cells.
For additional information on Ascenta Therapeutics, please visit the company's website at www.ascenta.com.
Contact
Ascenta Therapeutics, Inc.
Mark Benedyk PhD
Vice President, Business Development
858-436-1200
mbenedyk@ascenta.com
Posted: April 2007
