TORONTO, July 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - ARIUS Research Inc., a biotechnology company discovering and developing the next wave of antibody therapeutics, today announced that the Company has initiated the first study in the formal pre-clinical toxicology program for its lead anti-CD44 drug candidate, which is under development for the treatment of breast, prostate and liver cancers. ARIUS expects to file an IND application and begin human clinical trials in 2008.
“We have initiated a pre-clinical dose-finding toxicology study for our CD44 targeting antibody, which will generate important safety data to be included in our application to the FDA for permission to begin studies in cancer patients,” said Dr. Susan Hahn, Director Drug Development at ARIUS. “Previous studies with ARH460-16-2 have clearly demonstrated very potent inhibition of cancer cell growth in a number of test model systems including a type of breast cancer that cannot be treated with currently available antibodies or hormone therapies.”
ARIUS is developing its novel CD44-targeting antibody for the treatment of solid tumors such as breast, prostate and liver cancers. Published research shows that certain cells in a cancer tumor behave differently from the rapidly dividing cells that are killed by standard cancer treatments. These cells survive standard therapies and are suspected of causing the spread of cancer even after patients appear to have responded to conventional treatments. CD44 can be used as a way of identifying these lethal, cancer stem cells and CD44 can also be the target for drugs to kill them and ultimately improve patient survival. CD44 has been shown to identify cancer stem cells in leukemia, breast, prostate and head and neck cancer.
“This is an exciting time for ARIUS as we establish the path for bringing our first therapeutic antibody into clinical development,” said Dr. Robert Gundel, Chief Scientific Officer of ARIUS. “A novel antibody that targets cancer stem cells as part of its mechanism of action represents a new approach to cancer treatment with the potential of better efficacy and less toxicity for patients.”
About ARIUS
ARIUS is a biotechnology company discovering and developing the next wave of antibody therapeutics. Established in 1999, ARIUS has built a proprietary technology platform, FunctionFIRST(TM), that rapidly identifies and selects antibodies based on their functional ability to affect disease. This antibody generation engine has enabled ARIUS to assemble a portfolio of more than 400 antibody candidates. In addition to the antibodies it is developing in-house, ARIUS has ongoing partnerships with key biotechnology and drug development companies. ARIUS is listed on the TSX under the symbol “ARI”. For further information, visit www.ariusresearch.com
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this news release constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. Forward-looking statements in this release include, but are not limited to, ARIUS successfully advancing its new product programs as well as licensing opportunities. These statements are only predictions and actual events or results may differ materially. Factors that could cause such actual events or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements to differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by such statements include, but are not limited to: early stage of development; technology and product development; dependence on and management of current and future corporate collaborations; future capital needs; uncertainty of additional funding; no assurance of market acceptance; dependence on proprietary technology and uncertainty of patent protection; intense competition; manufacturing and market uncertainties; and government regulation. These and other factors are described in detail in ARIUS’ Annual Report, forthcoming news releases and other filings with Canadian securities regulatory authorities available at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and ARIUS is not obligated to update such information to reflect later events or developments.
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ARIUS Research Inc.
CONTACT: Warren Whitehead C.M.A., Chief Financial Officer, ARIUS ResearchInc., (416) 862-2323 ext. 214, wwhitehead@ariusresearch.com,contact@ariusresearch.com; James Smith, Investor Relations, (416) 815-0700ext. 229, jsmith@equicomgroup.com
