Oncothyreon's PX-478 Enhances Antitumor Effects of Radiation Therapy in Preclinical Models of Pancreatic and Brain Cancer

BELLEVUE, WA, April 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Oncothyreon Inc. (Nasdaq: ONTY - News; TSX:ONY - News) announced today that data from preclinical studies of PX-478, an investigational small molecule cancer therapy, were presented yesterday by David L. Schwartz, M.D, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in San Diego. The data demonstrate that PX-478 enhances the effect of radiation therapy in xenograft models of both glioma, a form of brain cancer, and pancreatic cancer. Oncothyreon is currently conducting a Phase 1 clinical trial of PX-478 in patients with advanced metastatic cancer.

PX-478 is a small molecule inhibitor of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1 alpha, a component of the transcription factor HIF-1 that plays a critical role in the cellular response to low oxygen levels (hypoxia). HIF-1 helps to restore normal oxygen levels in part by stimulating the growth of new blood vessels into the tumor through the induction of angiogenic agents, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Restoration of normal oxygen levels has been shown to counteract the cell-killing effects of radiation therapy.

source: BioSpace