On March 24, 2020 AXIM Biotechnologies, Inc. (OTCQB: AXIM) ("AXIM Biotech," "AXIM" or "the Company"), an international healthcare solutions company targeting oncological and cannabinoid research, reported that its subsidiary Sapphire Biotech, Inc. ("Sapphire") has completed pre-clinical drug studies on a new compound, SPX-1009, demonstrating 10 times greater potency than its parent compound, SBI-183, in inhibiting metastasis (Press release, Sapphire BioTech, MAR 24, 2020, https://sapphirebiotech.com/axim-biotechnologies-completes-pre-clinical-drug-studies-on-new-compound-proving-tenfold-greater-inhibition-of-tumor-metastasis-than-parent-compound/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=axim-biotechnologies-completes-pre-clinical-drug-studies-on-new-compound-proving-tenfold-greater-inhibition-of-tumor-metastasis-than-parent-compound [SID1234558651]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

"Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide and distant metastases are the major cause of patient mortality," said John W. Huemoeller II, Chief Executive Officer of AXIM Biotech. "Our scientists at Sapphire are aiming to slow down this death rate through their emphasis on metastasis and these positive early findings are nothing but spectacular."

Quiescin Sulfhydryl Oxidase 1 (QSOX1), an enzyme that is over-expressed by tumor cells in numerous cancers, has been shown to be involved in cancer invasion and metastasis. Earlier this year, Sapphire acquired exclusive license rights to a small molecule, SBI-183. SBI-183 has been proven to inhibit the enzymatic activity of QSOX1 and suppress tumor cell invasion in vitro and metastasis of MDA-MB-231 breast tumor cells in vivo. In a non-metastatic xenograft of kidney cancer, SBI-183 suppressed primary kidney tumor growth by 51 percent and in a metastatic xenograft breast cancer model (MDA-MB-231-luc TNBC), SBI-183 reduced lung metastasis by 76 percent compared to control.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at View Source

Sapphire scientists have tested over 70 analogs of SBI-183 and discovered that SPX-1009 was tenfold more potent in comparison to SBI-183, in suppressing tumor invasion and metastasis in vitro. SPX-1009 was first screened in a cell-free enzymatic assay for its ability to inhibit QSOX1 and then tested for its ability to inhibit growth and invasion of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells (MDA-MB-231), sarcomatoid kidney cancer cells (RCJ-41T2) and pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells (MIAPaCa2). MTT assays were used to measure the effect of the compounds on tumor growth. 2D invasion assays and 3D tumor spheroid assays were employed to measure the effect of the compounds on invasion.

Testing results demonstrated in vitro that SPX-1009 suppressed invasion of breast, kidney and pancreas tumor cells in 2D and 3D invasion assays at tenfold lower concentrations than the parent compound SBI-183.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at View Source

Sapphire intends to initiate animal studies to demonstrate the greater potency of SPX-1009 to suppress tumor growth and metastasis in mice bearing MDA-MB-231-luc breast cancer orthotopic xenografts. Sapphire’s intellectual property related to the SBI-183 and SPX-1009 technology is the subject of numerous patent-pending applications.

"We are extremely excited with the results that the in vitro testing showed," said Catalina Valencia, Chief Executive Officer of Sapphire Biotech. "This potential therapeutic treatment could someday help control tumor cell proliferation and metastasis with our inhibitor."