Oncology: Therapeutic Program

ONCOLOGY

	Overview
	Therapeutic Program
	Gene Signatures & Assays
	Cancer Cell Lines

INFLAMMATION

	Overview
	Mouse Models
	Inflammation Cell Lines

Nuclea’s oncology therapeutic strategy derives from the valuable gene expression information derived from its proprietary database and its collaborations with Dana Farber and The John’s Hopkins School of Medicine. Nuclea’s oncology targets are selected based on extensive research directed toward understanding the molecular structure of drug receptors, the specific biochemical characteristics of intracellular proteins, the unique products of aberrant genes, and the cellular processes underlying the etiology of cancer. The Company’s proprietary gene expression analysis technology is used to identify the best candidates for exploiting specific molecular targets accurately and effectively.

Nuclea’s therapeutic pipeline comprises both biologic candidates, such as monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), and small molecule candidates. MAbs exhibit a high degree of target specificity that may result in efficient attack of cancer cells, while in some cases sparing normal cells the toxicity often associated with chemotherapy. As such, they offer several advantages over many of the current regimens for cancer therapy. MAbs can fight cancer through multiple mechanisms of action. They can bind to receptors on the tumor-cell surface to block signal transduction that is crucial for tumor growth and proliferation. They can recruit the body’s own immune system to destroy cancer cells by binding to specific receptors on cancer cells, a process called antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity. They can also induce tumor-cell death by stimulating the apoptosis pathway.

Nuclea’s therapeutic strategy is focused on three main programs, which are described below.

Monoclonal Antibody against phospho-AKT

Nuclea has developed a MAb, having the internal designation NU-1001-41, which is a potent inhibitor of phospho-AKT. NU-1001-41 has exhibited promising anti-tumor activity in pre-clinical studies in mice. In its pre-clinical studies, a murine version of the NU-1001-41 antibody was used to treat nude mice implanted with gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) cells. GISTs are tumors that form along the digestive track, and belong to a subgroup of cancers known as soft tissue sarcomas. GIST cancers occur due to a mutation that causes KIT, a tyrosine kinase enzyme, to be “turned on”, which leads to growth of GIST tumor calls.

Targeted Kinase Inhibitors

Many protein kinases, including both cellular receptor kinases and intracellular kinases, are key components of signal transduction pathways that control cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. In many cancers, some signaling pathways are often inappropriately activated by mutation and/or over expression of certain kinases. Nuclea is engaged in the targeting of aberrant pathways through kinase inhibition which has proven to be an effective strategy to specifically inhibit the growth of tumor cells. Nuclea has performed initial preclinical evaluation in animals of certain kinases in endothelial cells, such as vascular endothelial growth-factor receptor, that play important roles in the stimulation of the growth of new blood vessels (angiogenesis).

Prostate Cancer Programs

Prostate cancer forms in tissues of the prostate, which is a gland in the male reproductive system, and typically occurs in older men. In the United States there are approximately 440,000 existing cases of prostate cancer, and it is estimated that more than 186,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed during 2008, and that about 29,000 deaths will result from the disease. Nuclea, in conjunction with its collaborators, is engaged in several research programs to identify therapeutic targets and therapeutic candidates for prostate cancer.

[  back to top  ]