ARIUS presents new findings showing therapeutic antibody inhibits
human leukemic cancer stem cells
- Data on ARIUS' novel CD9 therapeutic antibody to be presented at
AACR
Special Conference on Cancer Stem Cells -
TORONTO, Feb. 13 /PRNewswire-
(TSX:
ARI), a biotechnology company discovering and developing the next
wave of
antibody therapeutics, today announced that new information on the
preclinical activity of its anti-CD9 cancer stem cell antibody will be
presented at the AACR Special Conference on Cancer Stem Cells
entitled "The
Role of Cancer Stem Cells in the Initiation and Propagation of
Tumorigenesis,
Company will
disclose data demonstrating that its CD9 antibody not only targets
leukemia
cancer stem cells, but also leads to a dramatic reduction in their
capacity
to self-renew or give rise to further leukemia. These findings were
discovered in collaboration with John E. Dick, PhD, the Canada
Research
Chair in Stem Cell Biology with the University Health Network in
Toronto,
Canada.
The poster presentation (Wednesday, February 13th 2008, from 4:30-
6:30
pm) will outline the activity of ARIUS' anti-CD9 antibody,
AR40A746.2.3,
against acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The long-term survival
expectation
for patients with AML is poor due to disease relapse and resistance to
chemotherapy. CD9 appears to be an important driver for leukemia and
potentially other cancer stem cells, which often survive treatment,
continue to multiply and go on to seed new tumors. Studies of
patients with
different types of cancer have demonstrated that the presence of CD9
can be
linked to lower survival rates. AR40A746.2.3 has previously been
found to
control tumor growth and improve survival in pre-clinical breast and
pancreatic cancer models.
"Since some cancer stem cells have been shown to be highly
resistant to
traditional cancer therapies and are believed to contribute to
treatment
resistance, the selectivity of ARIUS' anti-CD9 antibody for leukemic
cancer
stem cells represents an exciting opportunity in cancer therapy,"
said Dr.
John E. Dick. "The ability to target leukemic cancer stem cells while
potentially leaving normal stem cells intact may provide a more
effective
means for increasing survival and decreasing relapse in AML and
possibly
other forms of leukemia."
"ARIUS is very pleased to collaborate with Dr. John Dick, a
pioneer in
the cancer stem cell field. Prior to collaborating with Dr. Dick, our
CD9
antibody demonstrated potent anti-tumor activity in several pre-
clinical
solid tumor models. Our antibody also appears to be a specific cancer
stem
cell inhibitor, suggesting that it may become an important drug and
forge
new paths for the treatment of cancer," said Dr. Daniel S. Pereira,
Vice
President of Research of ARIUS. "We have identified large and small
animal
toxicology models suitable for further studies of AR40A746.2.3 and we
are
on track in the development of this molecule for human clinical
trials."
CD9 is a potential marker of acute myeloid leukemia stem cells
(LSC) and
serves as a LSC-specific therapeutic target. Poster Session A,
Wednesday,
Feb 13th 2008, from 4:30-6:30 pm in the Concourse Ballroom of the
Los
Angeles Marriott.
AR40A746.2.3, a functional antibody that targets CD9, has
previously
been shown to have anti-tumor and survival benefits in animal models
of
human breast and pancreatic cancer. CD9 is highly expressed and
differentially expressed in AML versus normal stem cells (42.7+10.1%
verus
9.9+2.8%). Preliminary experiments show that targeting CD9 with
AR40A746.2.3 inhibits human AML outgrowth in the NOD/SCID mouse
xenotransplant model. In secondary transplantation experiments,
treatments
with AR40A746.2.3 dramatically reduced the self-renewal capacity of
AML
cancer stem cells.
About ARIUS
ARIUS is a biotechnology company discovering and developing the
next
wave of antibody therapeutics. Established in 1999, ARIUS has built a
proprietary technology platform, FunctionFIRST(
identifies
and selects antibodies based on their functional ability to affect
disease.
This antibody generation engine has enabled ARIUS to assemble a
portfolio
of more than 500 antibody candidates. In addition to the antibodies
it is
developing in-house, ARIUS has ongoing partnerships with key
biotechnology
and drug development companies. ARIUS is listed on the TSX under the
symbol
"ARI". For further information, visit http://www.ariusmab
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this news release constitute "forward-
looking
statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform
Act of 1995, which involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and
other
factors that may cause our actual results to be materially different
from
any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied
by
such statements. Forward-looking statements in this release include,
but
are not limited to, ARIUS successfully advancing its new product
programs
as well as licensing opportunities. These statements are only
predictions
and actual events or results may differ materially. Factors that could
cause such actual events or results expressed or implied by such
forward-looking statements to differ materially from any future
results
expressed or implied by such statements include, but are not limited
to:
early stage of development; technology and product development;
dependence
on and management of current and future corporate collaborations;
future
capital needs; uncertainty of additional funding; no assurance of
market
acceptance; dependence on proprietary technology and uncertainty of
patent
protection; intense competition; manufacturing and market
uncertainties;
and government regulation. These and other factors are described in
detail
in ARIUS' Annual Report, forthcoming news releases and other filings
with
Canadian securities regulatory authorities available at
http://www.sedar.
Forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and
ARIUS
is not obligated to update such information to reflect later events or
developments.
SOURCE ARIUS Research Inc.
http://www.prnewswi
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StemCells subscribers may also be interested in these sites:
Children's Neurobiological Solutions
http://www.CNSfoundation.org/
Cord Blood Registry
http://www.CordBlood.com/at.cgi?a=150123
The CNS Healing Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CNS_Healing
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