WORCESTER, Mass., Dec. 07, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nemucore Medical Innovations, Inc., a privately held, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of therapies targeting multi-drug resistant cancers with a special emphasis on highly lethal women’s cancers, today announced the completion of an option agreement with Cancer Research Technology Ltd (CRT), the commercial arm of Cancer Research UK, for the exclusive license of worldwide commercial rights to GSK1070916 (now designated NMI-900 by Nemucore), a potent Aurora B/C kinase inhibitor targeting a broad range of cancers.
“We are thrilled to be able to build on the excellent foundational clinical research conducted by Cancer Research UK, and continue the development of this innovative and very promising anticancer therapeutic,” said Timothy P. Coleman, Ph.D., Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Nemucore. “Based on its unique properties and pharmaceutical profile, we believe NMI-900 has best-in-class potential as a breakout therapy for treating women’s and other cancers associated with high mortality rates that have already been demonstrated to be intractable to conventional therapeutics.”
NMI-900 is a potent ATP-competitive inhibitor of Aurora B kinase that has demonstrated high affinity for Aurora B, a significantly slower dissociation rate compared to its peers, potent anti-proliferative activity in multiple cancer cell lines, and minimal effects on non-proliferating normal human cells. In 2014, Cancer Research UK’s Centre for Drug Development successfully completed a Phase 1/2a trial of NMI-900. In this trial, NMI-900 elicited response in 61% of patients with no remaining standard therapies available to them across a wide variety of advanced and/or metastatic solid tumors. NMI-900 was well tolerated, with the most prevalent adverse event presenting as predictable and treatable neutropenia. NMI-900 was developed by Cancer Research UK’s Centre for Drug Development in partnership with GSK, under the Clinical Development Partnerships (CDP) initiative. This initiative, a joint effort launched by Cancer Research UK and Cancer Research Technology Ltd, provides a simple route for companies to progress oncology agents that would not otherwise be developed, and increase the number of clinical trials being undertaken for the treatment of cancer.
Dr. Keith Blundy, CEO of Cancer Research Technology commented, “We’re very pleased that Nemucore plans to take this promising new drug candidate and develop it through more clinical trials so that it has a greater chance of reaching patients who are in urgent need of new treatment options, sooner. The drug forms part of our Clinical Development Partnerships initiative, and is one of twelve drugs on the scheme that are moving out of the lab into clinical trials – something that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.”
Nemucore expects to initiate a Phase 2b clinical trial of NMI-900 in patients with advanced, platinum-resistant ovarian cancer in mid-2016 based on the supportive preclinical and early clinical trial results. As part of their clinical development and commercial strategy, the Company is concurrently developing a companion diagnostic with the Medical Prognosis Institute to identify patients most likely to respond to NMI-900. Nemucore expects to investigate the efficacy of NMI-900 in the treatment of EGF receptor-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and other difficult-to-treat cancers in the future.
About Nemucore Medical Innovations, Inc.
Nemucore Medical Innovations, Inc. is a privately held, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of therapies targeting multi-drug resistant cancers with a special emphasis on highly lethal women’s cancers. Nemucore's most advanced candidate NMI-900, a potential therapeutic for the treatment of ovarian cancer, is expected to begin a Phase 2b clinical trial in mid-2016. Two additional candidates are anticipated to enter clinical trial development later in 2016, targeting a variety of difficult-to-treat oncology indications, including breast, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and other cancers. For more information, please visit our website at www.Nemucore.com.
About Cancer Research Technology
Cancer Research Technology (CRT) is a specialist commercialisation and development company, which aims to develop new discoveries in cancer research for the benefit of cancer patients. CRT works closely with leading international cancer scientists and their institutes to protect intellectual property arising from their research and to establish links with commercial partners. CRT facilitates the discovery, development and marketing of new cancer therapeutics, vaccines, diagnostics and enabling technologies. CRT is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cancer Research UK, the world's leading cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through research. Further information about CRT can be found at www.cancertechnology.com.
About Cancer Research UK's Centre for Drug Development
Cancer Research UK has an impressive record of developing novel treatments for cancer. It currently has a portfolio of around 30 new anti-cancer agents in preclinical development, Phase I or early Phase II clinical trials. Since 1982, the Cancer Research UK Centre for Drug Development, formerly the Drug Development Office, has taken over 120 potential new anti-cancer agents into clinical trials in patients, five of which have made it to market and many others are still in development. These include temozolomide, a drug discovered by Cancer Research UK scientists, that is an effective treatment for brain cancer and abiraterone, which is used to treat prostate cancer. This rate of success is comparable to that of any pharmaceutical company.
About Cancer Research UK
- Cancer Research UK is the world’s leading cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through research.
- Cancer Research UK’s pioneering work into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer has helped save millions of lives.
- Cancer Research UK receives no government funding for its life-saving research. Every step it makes towards beating cancer relies on every pound donated.
- Cancer Research UK has been at the heart of the progress that has already seen survival in the UK double in the last forty years.
- Today, 2 in 4 people survive their cancer for at least 10 years. Cancer Research UK’s ambition is to accelerate progress so that 3 in 4 people will survive their cancer for at least 10 years within the next 20 years.
- Cancer Research UK supports research into all aspects of cancer through the work of over 4,000 scientists, doctors and nurses.
- Together with its partners and supporters, Cancer Research UK's vision is to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured.
- For further information about Cancer Research UK's work or to find out how to support the charity, please call 0300 123 1022 or visit www.cancerresearchuk.org. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.