On December 8, 2021 Onxeo S.A. (Euronext Growth Paris: ALONX, First North Copenhagen: ONXEO), ("Onxeo" or "the Company"), a clinical-stage biotechnology company specializing in the development of innovative drugs targeting tumor DNA Damage response (DDR), reported the presentation of new preclinical data confirming the differentiated antitumoral properties of AsiDNA, its first-in-class DNA Damage Response (DDR) inhibitor, in poster and oral sessions during the EACR-AstraZeneca Virtual Conference organized by the European Association for Cancer Research and AstraZeneca on the theme of "Drug Tolerant Persister Cells" (7-8 December, 2021) (Press release, Onxeo, DEC 8, 2021, View Source [SID1234596601]).
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Several studies have shown that a small population of tumor cells, treated by targeted therapies, evade cell death by entering a reversible dormancy state known as the Drug-tolerant persister (DTP) state. These DTP cells are identified as major source of targeted therapy failures, thus leading to cancer relapse.
The data presented by Onxeo show that the addition of AsiDNA to targeted therapies prevents the regrowth of the DTP cells, thereby completely and irreversibly abolishing the emergence of resistance in tumor cells. The Company first discovered this unique property of AsiDNA in combination with PARPi (see Poster at AAC virtual meeting 2020). The most recent preclinical studies presented at EACR-AstraZeneca Virtual Conference, confirmed the prevention of resistance in other relevant tumor models where AsiDNA was combined with targeted therapies such as KRASi and EGFRi.
Judith Greciet, Chief Executive Officer of Onxeo, stated: "As already demonstrated in our previous studies, drug-tolerant persister cells are a well-established cause of resistance to targeted therapies such as TKIs and PARPi. Our new data provide further evidence that these cells are a major source of resistance to different cancer treatments, and that AsiDNA could be a therapeutic strategy of choice to specifically address this therapy failure. From a medical perspective, this is a major achievement as it paves the way for multiple combination strategies with our leading drug candidate in order to abolish tumor resistance. We are pleased that our pioneering approach has gained strong interest of the international medical and research community at the EACR-AstraZeneca Virtual Conference."