AEterna Zentaris (AEZS) to Present Poster on Oral Prostate Cancer Vaccine Candidate, AEZS-120, at Upcoming International Urology Conference in Japan
9/20/2012 10:38:10 AM
QUEBEC CITY, Sept. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - Aeterna Zentaris Inc.
(NASDAQ: AEZS) (TSX: AEZ) (the "Company") today announced that a poster
on its oral prostate cancer vaccine candidate, AEZS-120, will be on
display at the upcoming 32nd Congress of the Société Internationale d'Urologie which will be held September 30 through October 4, 2012 at the Fukuoka
International Congress Center in Fukuoka, Japan.
The abstract #839 titled, "Pre-Clinical Proof of Concept and Characterization of AEZS-120, a
Therapeutic Oral Prostate Cancer Vaccine Candidate Based on Live
Recombinant Attenuated Salmonella", J. Fensterle, B. Bergmann, M. Teifel, J. Engel, T. Rudel, W. Goebel,
U. Rapp, underlines the feasibility of an oral therapeutic vaccination
approach against prostate cancer. The safety pharmacology and
toxicology experiments suggest that the profile of AEZS-120 is similar
to the approved carrier strain and, therefore, pave the way for Phase 1
clinical testing.
About AEZS-120
AEZS-120 is a live recombinant oral tumor vaccine candidate based on Salmonella typhi Ty21a as a carrier strain. Salmonella typhi Ty21a is an approved oral typhoid vaccine which has been safely applied
in more than 350 million doses. The principle of AEZS-120 is based on
the recombinant expression of prostate specific antigen fused to the B
subunit of cholera toxin and a secretion signal in the presence of the Escherichia coli type I hemolysin secretion system. The proprietary system allows the
secretion of the antigen together with an immunological adjuvant which
has been demonstrated to be required for optimal induction of CD8
T-cell responses by recombinant Salmonella based bacterial vaccines. The proof-of-concept was already demonstrated
for the mouse homologue of AEZS-120 in a mouse tumor-challenge model.
In general, by varying the antigen and/or the carrier, this proprietary
platform technology is suitable for virtually any therapeutic or
prophylactic vaccine indication with a relatively favorable cost of
goods expectation in large scale.
About Aeterna Zentaris
Aeterna Zentaris is an oncology and endocrinology drug development
company currently investigating treatments for various unmet medical
needs. The Company's pipeline encompasses compounds at all stages of
development, from drug discovery through to marketed products. For more
information please visit www.aezsinc.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to
the safe harbour provisions of the U.S. Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks
and uncertainties that could cause the Company's actual results to
differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such
risks and uncertainties include, among others, the availability of
funds and resources to pursue R&D projects, the successful and timely
completion of clinical studies, the risk that safety and efficacy data
from any of our Phase 3 trials may not coincide with the data analyses
from previously reported Phase 1 and/or Phase 2 clinical trials, the
ability of the Company to take advantage of business opportunities in
the pharmaceutical industry, uncertainties related to the regulatory
process and general changes in economic conditions. Investors should
consult the Company's quarterly and annual filings with the Canadian
and U.S. securities commissions for additional information on risks and
uncertainties relating to forward-looking statements. Investors are
cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. The Company
does not undertake to update these forward-looking statements. We
disclaim any obligation to update any such factors or to publicly
announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking
statements contained herein to reflect future results, events or
developments, unless required to do so by a governmental authority or
by applicable law.
SOURCE AETERNA ZENTARIS INC.