SAN FRANCISCO and MIAMI BEACH, Fla., Sept. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Biscayne Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced that data supporting the anti-cancer potential of its growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) technology will be featured in a presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s (ASCO) Breast Cancer Symposium 2014. The data will be presented by Biscayne’s Medical Director, Norman Block, MD, who is also Clinical Director of the Endocrine, Polypeptide and Cancer Institute at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Miami and the L. Austin Weeks Family Professor of Urologic Research at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
Scientists have long known that GHRH, which is made in the brain, releases growth hormone to manage growth and tissue repair in nearby cells. Dr. Andrew V. Schally, a world-renowned drug researcher and Nobel laureate, discovered that other cells throughout the body, including cancer cells, also have receptors for GHRH. Cancer cells contain GHRH receptors and also produce the GHRH hormone, thereby fueling their own growth. Biscayne Pharmaceuticals has licensed rights to Dr. Schally’s GHRH discoveries and is developing GHRH antagonists that inhibit tumor growth by binding to and blocking the activity of the GHRH receptors on cancer cells.
Much of the earlier work on GHRH and cancer has been conducted in preclinical models. In the Breast Cancer Symposium 2014 poster presentation1, Dr. Block and his colleagues present data on GHRH using specimens from breast cancer patients. They conclude that the majority of breast cancers, including both primary and metastatic tumors, are GHRH-receptor positive, confirming the validity of GHRH as a potential therapeutic target for new breast cancer drugs.
Dr. Block, who conducts research in collaboration with Dr. Schally, commented, “Extensive studies in preclinical models gave us confidence that GHRH is an important driver of tumor growth and that antagonists of GHRH might have potential as effective anti-cancer agents. This new study using tumor samples from breast cancer patients further confirms the potential relevance of those findings to human disease and supports our goal of rapidly advancing our lead GHRH antagonist into human clinical trials.”
Biscayne’s GHRH antagonists are in preclinical development for the treatment of cancer. In animal studies, these antagonists have shown promising anti-tumor activity. The company believes that its GHRH antagonists may have therapeutic potential in many types of tumors, including breast cancer.
- Expression of GHRH-R in Primary and Metastatic Mammary Carcinomas. M Nadji, N Block, A V Schally, J Lara, R Michaelson, Suhail M Ali, K Leitzel and A Lipton, General Poster Session B, Board B10, September 5, 2014.
The ASCO Breast Cancer Symposium 2014 is being held September 4-6, 2014 in San Francisco, CA. For more information visit http://breastcasym.org/
About Biscayne Pharmaceuticals
Biscayne Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a privately held biopharmaceutical company discovering and developing novel therapies based on growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) analogs. The company’s technology stems from the discoveries of Dr. Andrew V. Schally, a Nobel laureate and pioneering endocrine drug developer. Biscayne’s lead compounds include GHRH antagonists in development for the treatment of cancer and GHRH agonists for the repair of cardiac damage in heart disease patients. GHRH analogs may also have utility in other conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease. Biscayne’s technology is licensed from the University of Miami and the company is headquartered in Miami, FL. For more information, visit biscaynepharmaceuticals.com
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Biscayne Pharmaceuticals | |
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Jared Mendel | BLL Partners |
(786) 502-4220 | Barbara Lindheim |
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SOURCE Biscayne Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
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