Germantown, MD - April 3, 2013. Chikujee Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company pioneering targeted therapies for cancer, announced the new preclinical data from its lead therapeutic program.
Scientists from Chikujee Therapeutics will discuss recent progress and development plan for the Company’s lead therapeutic candidate- KATY™, a targeted nanoparticle based chemotherapeutic agent paclitaxel, for ovarian cancer. Paclitaxel is the most commonly used chemotherapy agent for the treatment of ovarian cancer. When delivered systemically, the Company’s targeted nanoparticles kill the tumor cells in mouse models of ovarian cancer.
Chikujee Therapeutics has received an exclusive worldwide license from Avanti Therapeutics for a Programmable NanoBindi™ formulation that is being used to enhance the delivery of the paclitaxel to solid and hematological tumors. The programmable NanoBindi-formulated Paclitaxel causes complete tumor regression in two different and aggressive mouse models of ovarian cancer and has proven effective in inhibiting the growth of tumors in mouse models of other cancers. Preliminary toxicity studies have revealed no adverse effects and no immunostimulatory activity at therapeutic dose levels. The Company expects to submit an IND application and initiate a Phase I clinical trial within next few months.
“The exceptional therapeutic efficacy and favorable safety profile produced by our lead therapeutic candidate has us eager to transition into a clinical program where we can demonstrate proof of concept for the programmable therapeutics platform approach,” said Dr. Arkesh Mehta, CEO of Chikujee Therapeutics. “Because paclitaxel and other taxols are used as a chemotherapeutic agent for multiple cancers, programmable nanoparticle-based therapies are expected to impact a broader range of tumor cells than other targeted cancer therapies, and therefore yield greater clinical benefits.”
This project was funded in part by a Cancer Prevention and Programmable Therapeutics (CPPT) Commercialization initiative of Chikujee Therapeutics.
About KATY™
KATY is a novel drug particle that combines multifunctional capabilities including a targeting ligand, non-immunogenic and biodegradable stealth properties in a therapeutic nanoparticle. KATY™ contains Paclitaxel, a proven cancer drug which is approved in major cancer indications including breast, prostate and lung, encapsulated in FDA-approved biocompatible and biodegradable silica hybrid polymer. KATY™ is targeted to ovarian cancer specific membrane antigen, a cell surface antigen abundantly expressed on the surface of cancer cells and on new blood vessels that feed a wide array of solid tumors. In preclinical cancer models, KATY™ was shown to deliver up to ten- fold more paclitaxel to tumors than an equivalent dose of conventional paclitaxel. The increased accumulation of paclitaxel at the site of disease translated to marked improvements in antitumor activity and bio tolerability. KATY™ is currently finalized for human clinical testing in patients with platinum resistant ovarian cancer. The early development of KATY™ was funded in part by Avanti Therapeutics under its Programmable Therapeutics Program (PTP).
About Chikujee Therapeutics
Chikujee Therapeutics is an innovative clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of programmable therapeutics called NanoBindi™. Chikujee’s Programmable Therapeutics™ platform enables the design, engineering and manufacturing of NanoBindis with unprecedented control over drug functionalization properties to maximize targeting to disease sites, dramatically enhancing efficacy while minimizing or eliminating drug toxicities.
Chikujee is developing a pipeline of novel products that hold extraordinary potential to become best-in-class drugs and improve patient outcomes in the areas of oncology. Chikujee’ s lead product candidate, KATY™, is currently in being finalized for clinical testing in ovarian cancer patients and is designed to selectively target a surface protein up regulated in a broad range of solid tumors. Chikujee also plans to develop Programmable APIs in collaboration with pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners to enable promising pipeline candidates to achieve their full potential and to utilize selective targeting to transform the performance of important existing drug products.
Chikujee is backed by a group of private investors. Chikujee was founded on Programmable Therapeutics™ platform-proprietary technology exclusively licensed from Avanti Therapeutics for oncology applications. For more information, please visit the company’s web site at www.Chikujee.com
Contacts
Chikujee Therapeutics, Inc.
Jenny Smith
Tel: 240-422-2118
jenny@Chikujee.com
