Ascenta Therapeutics Highlights Multiple Data Presentations at This Week's AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference in San Francisco

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 23, 2007 - Ascenta Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that its small molecule portfolio of apoptosis-triggering compounds will be featured in two oral presentations and several poster presentations this week at the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics, being held October 22-26, 2007 at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, CA.

Preclinical studies of AT-101, Ascenta's oral pan-Bcl-2 inhibitor, currently in randomized Phase 2 trials, will be featured in 2 presentations, highlighting its activity in murine lung cancer models. Ascenta's collaborators at the University of Michigan will present data on the next generation of small molecule BH3 mimetics. Presentations will also cover Ascenta's inhibitors of the MDM2 and XIAP targets. The full schedule of presentations featuring Ascenta's technology is as follows: -0-

Oral Presentations:

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     Tues Oct. 23, 2007, 4:30 PM-5:30 PM

     Design, Synthesis, and Evaluation of Bivalent Conformationally

      Constrained Smac Mimetics that Concurrently Target both BIR2 and

      BIR3 Domains of XIAP

     Presenter: Dr. Haiying Sun, U. Michigan

     Proffered Papers: #PR-2


     Wed Oct. 24, 2007, 2:30 PM-4:30 PM

     Design of Small-molecule SMAC Mimetics as Apoptosis Inducers in

      Tumor Cells: Molecular Insights into Apoptosis Regulation

     Presenter: Dr. Shaomeng Wang

     Session 2: Small Molecule Approaches to the Regulation of

      Apoptosis


Poster Presentations on Tues Oct. 23, 2007

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     Preclinical Studies of the Orally Active, Pan-Bcl-2 Small

      Molecule Inhibitor AT-101 in Small Cell Lung Cancer

     Presenter: Dr. Ting Zhang

     Abstract #A44


     In Vivo Efficacy of AT-101, an Orally Active Pan-Bcl-2 Family

      Protein Inhibitor in Combination with Docetaxel or Erlotinib for

      Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

     Presenter: Dr. Guangfeng Wang

     Abstract #A51


     Development and Validation of Mitochondria-based Functional

      Assays to Investigate the Mechanism of Small Molecule Inhibitors

      of Bcl-2/Bcl-xL/Mcl-1 (BH3 mimetics) in Cell-free Systems

     Presenter: Dr. Jiangting Long, U. Michigan

     Abstract #A214


Poster Presentations on Wed Oct. 24, 2007

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     A Novel Orally Active MDM2 inhibitor (MI-219) Activates the p53

      Pathway and is Selectively Toxic to Tumor Cells.

     Presenter: Dr. Sanjeev Shangary, U. Michigan

     Abstract #B271


     Design of Cyclic Smac Mimetic Peptide and In Vitro

      Characteristics of its Complex with X-linked Inhibitor of

      Apoptosis Protein (XIAP)

     Presenter: Dr. Zaneta Nikolovska-Coleska, U. Michigan

     Abstract #B288


Poster Presentations on Thurs Oct. 25, 2007

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     In Vivo Tumor Regression Achieved by a Potent Bivalent Smac

      Mimetic (SM-164) in Combination with TRAIL

     Presenter: Dr. Jiangfeng LU

     Abstract #C228


     BI-33, a Novel and Potent Pan-Bcl-2 Inhibitor, Induces Cell Death

      in Cancer Cells and Shows Combination Effect with

      Chemotherapeutic Drugs

     Presenter: Dr. Feng Jiang, U. Michigan

     Abstract #C229

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 Malvern, Pennsylvania and San Diego, California and a preclinical research facility in Shanghai, China. Ascenta's technology is focused on discovering molecules that hit vulnerable targets in endogenous apoptosis pathways and shut down cell growth and proliferation in cancer cells. Ascenta's broad pipeline of compounds is licensed from both the National Institutes of Health and the laboratory of Dr. Shaomeng Wang at the University of Michigan.

Contact

Ascenta Therapeutics Inc.
Mel Sorensen, 610-408-0301

Posted: October 2007

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