New Pre-Clinical Data on RGB-286638 Multi-Targeted Kinase Inhibitor Presented at AACR
MARTINSRIED/MUNICH, Germany & PRINCETON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 21, 2009 - GPC Biotech AG (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: GPC) today reported that pre-clinical data on RGB-286638, the Company's multi-targeted protein kinase inhibitor, are being presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) 100th Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado. Researchers from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center (MGH), Boston, Massachusetts gave an oral presentation entitled, “A Novel Multi-Targeted Small Molecule Inhibitor RGB-286638 Triggers Apoptosis and Necrosis in Multiple Myeloma via Dual Cell Death Pathways.” The data show that RGB-286638 demonstrates in vivo activity in several pre-clinical models of multiple myeloma. The compound also induces cell death in multiple myeloma cells independent from the p53 status; p53 is a gene involved in the control of cell proliferation.
“The data presented today by the MGH/Dana-Farber further support the potential role of RGB-286638 in the treatment of multiple myeloma,” said Bernd Seizinger, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of GPC Biotech. “Based on these data, we are working with the MGH/Dana-Farber team to design a Phase 1 clinical study in patients with hematological tumors, including multiple myeloma.”
Additionally, pre-clinical data on RGB-286638 in solid tumor cell lines are being presented by GPC Biotech researchers in a poster entitled, “RGB-286638, a multi-targeted protein kinase inhibitor, induces apoptosis involving the inhibition of RNA polymerase II carboxyl-terminal domain phosphorylation and the loss of the anti-apoptotic BCL2 family member Mcl-1” (Abstract #3265). These data demonstrate that RGB-286638 induces rapid tumor cell killing at very low doses. Additionally, RGB-286638 shows a potent profile of activities across a broad range of solid tumor cell lines, including cell lines originated from prostate, pancreas and kidney cancers. A Phase 1 trial evaluating RGB-286638 in patients with advanced solid tumors is currently underway in Europe.
About RGB-286638
RGB-286638 is a multi-targeted protein kinase inhibitor currently in Phase 1 clinical testing. The RGB-286638 compound has been shown to inhibit the processes controlling cell division in cancer cells by targeting multiple cyclin-dependent kinase proteins involved in regulating the cell cycle. RGB-286638 has also been shown to induce apoptosis (programmed cell death) and to inhibit other important protein kinases involved in the proliferation of cancer cells. RGB-286638 treatment results in tumor regression and increased survival in a number of pre-clinical models of solid and hematological tumors.
GPC Biotech
GPC Biotech AG is a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company focused on developing anti-cancer drugs. The Company currently has two programs in clinical development: satraplatin, an oral platinum compound and RGB-286638, a multi-targeted protein kinase inhibitor. On February 18, 2009 the Company announced plans to combine its business with U.S.-based Agennix, Incorporated in a new German company. Agennix, a privately-held biotechnology company, is developing oral talactoferrin, a product candidate that is currently in Phase 3 trials for non-small cell lung cancer. GPC Biotech AG is headquartered in Martinsried/Munich (Germany) and has a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary in Princeton, New Jersey. For additional information, please visit GPC Biotech's Web site at www.gpc-biotech.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements, which express the current beliefs and expectations of the management of GPC Biotech. Such statements are based on current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, that could cause future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from the results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ materially depending on a number of factors, and we caution investors not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. There can be no guarantee that RGB-286638 will be successfully developed. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and GPC Biotech undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.
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Posted: April 2009
