On May 9, 2016 GTx, Inc. (Nasdaq: GTXI) reported the first public presentation of preclinical data from the Company’s selective androgen receptor degrader (SARD) program (Press release, GTx, MAY 9, 2016, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2166265 [SID:1234512115]). The results demonstrate that the Company’s highly potent SARDs selectively bind to the ligand binding domain (LBD) and interact with the N-terminal domain (NTD) of the androgen receptor (AR) and inhibit and degrade the AR at very low concentrations. These preclinical results suggest that the Company’s SARDs may be the first-in-class dual-interacting AR antagonists and degraders.
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The preclinical data are being presented at the 2016 American Urological Association (AUA) Annual Meeting taking place May 6-10, 2016, in San Diego, California.
Poster: Novel Dual-Binding Selective Degraders of Full Length and Splice Variant Androgen Receptors for the Treatment of Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
Presenter: Ramesh Narayanan, Ph.D., Director, Center for Cancer Drug Discovery and Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Tennessee and Consultant for GTx, Inc.
Date:
Saturday, May 7 at 10:30 am until Tuesday, May 10 at 1:00 pm
According to Dr. Narayanan, "One of the limitations of current prostate cancer therapy is that some men with castration-resistant prostate cancer do not respond or eventually develop resistance to the therapy. These preclinical results suggest that novel SARD compounds may degrade and inhibit multiple forms of the androgen receptor, including AR splice variants, and may therefore potentially treat CRPC in men who are non-responsive to androgen therapy."
The Company’s lead SARD compounds are currently being evaluated in preclinical studies in order to select the best SARD compounds for continued development, with a goal of initiating first human clinical trials in 2017.
About SARDs
Selective Androgen Receptor Degrader (SARD) technology is being evaluated as a potentially novel treatment for men with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), including those who do not respond or are resistant to currently approved therapies. GTx believes that its novel SARD compounds will degrade multiple forms of the androgen receptor, including AR splice variants, such as AR-V7. GTx licensed the SARD technology from the University of Tennessee Research Foundation in 2015 with the goal of expanding its portfolio of product candidates targeting hormonal receptors.
About Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer that is localized to the prostate can be effectively treated with surgery, radiation, brachytherapy and other modalities in an effort to eradicate all of the disease and cure the patient. In some cases, the tumor advances locally or metastasizes; these are examples of advanced prostate cancer. The goal of treatment for advanced prostate cancer is to control the tumor and keep the patient alive for as long as possible.
In advanced prostate cancer, a number of treatments with hormone blocking therapies or chemotherapy are used to slow the spread of metastases, shrink existing tumors, reduce symptoms and improve quality of life. Although most men with advanced prostate cancer are not cured of their disease, they can live a normal life for many years.