Asana Biosciences To Provide Updates On ASN002, A Novel SYK/JAK Inhibitor, And ASN003, A Novel BRAF/PI3K Kinase Inhibitor, At The 14th International Congress On Targeted Anticancer Therapies

BRIDGEWATER, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Asana BioSciences, LLC today announced that Dr. Drew Rasco of South Texas Accelerated Research Therapeutics, San Antonio, Texas, will present an update on ASN002, which the company is developing for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, at the 14^th International Congress on Targeted Anticancer Therapies being held on March 21-23, 2016 in Washington, D.C. Dr. Rasco is the principal investigator of the ongoing clinical trial of ASN002. The presentation details are as follows:

ASN002 is a potent inhibitor of both SYK kinase and the JAK kinase family. SYK and JAK are tyrosine kinases involved in cytokine production and signaling. ASN002 demonstrated robust activity in a number of preclinical models of lymphoma and hematologic malignancies, including an ibrutinib-resistant lymphoma (DLBCL) cell line. ASN002 is currently under evaluation in a Phase I/II study in patients with solid tumors and lymphomas. The Phase II portion of the study will further evaluate safety, tolerability and efficacy in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, mantle cell lymphoma and follicular lymphoma. The study is ongoing, and dose escalation continues after assessment of the first three cohorts, which have shown good tolerability and safety.

Asana will also present preclinical data on its product candidate ASN003, a potent and highly selective inhibitor of BRAF and PI3K pathway kinases. The presentation details are as follows:

ASN003 has broader anti-proliferative activity in tumor cell lines as compared to the BRAF selective inhibitors, vemurafenib and dabrafenib, and shows robust antitumor activity in multiple tumor xenograft models. Dual targeting of the BRAF and PI3K pathways with ASN003 has the potential to overcome and/or delay acquired resistance to selective BRAF inhibition, and may also result in improved activity in cancers driven by both pathways relative to selective BRAF inhibitors or selective PI3K pathway inhibitors alone. First-in-human trials with ASN003 are being planned.

About Asana BioSciences, LLC

Asana BioSciences, LLC, an independent member of the Amneal alliance of companies, is a research and development company based in Bridgewater, New Jersey, specializing in the discovery and development of new chemical and biological entities. Asana’s portfolio consists of multiple early-stage development candidates in a variety of therapeutic areas, including oncology, pain and inflammation, among others. Asana’s other lead molecule ASN001 (CYP17 inhibitor for prostate cancer) is currently in Phase I/II clinical studies in the United States. Several other molecules in Asana’s portfolio are currently in the late stages of preclinical development. www.asanabiosciences.com