VANCOUVER, June 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Chemokine Therapeutics Corp. (the Company) , a biotechnology company developing chemokine-based therapies to treat cancer, blood disorders and vascular diseases, announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle to study the Company's hematological support compound, CTCE-0214.
Researchers at the Hutchinson Center will study the benefits of CTCE-0214, an agonist of the chemokine receptor CXCR4, in a series of preclinical studies investigating the drug's ability to accelerate the repopulation of stem cells to the bone marrow from human umbilical cord blood. In addition to determining the quantity of stem cell expansion, the researchers will also examine the level of engraftment of these cells in pre-clinical transplant model. The planned studies would further establish the effects of the addition of CTCE-0214 to the currently available techniques and explore the potential use in a future human clinical setting.
Dr. Hassan Salari, Chairman and CEO of Chemokine Therapeutics, noted, "We are very proud to be partnering with the Hutchinson Center to combine Chemokine's extensive preclinical and clinical expertise with CTCE-0214 and the Hutchinson Center's knowledge and clinical expertise in advanced and highly specialized medical research. This important study will permit us to evaluate the potentially profound impact that CTCE-0214 could have on developing treatments for degenerative diseases using stem cell therapies."
The capacity of cord blood to treat cancer and a wide range of degenerative diseases is a growing area of interest but is limited by the quantity and quality of stem cells in cord blood. Recently in the journal Stem Cells, an article entitled: "Small Peptide Analogue of SDF-1(alpha) Supports Survival of Cord Blood CD34+ Cells in Synergy with Other Cytokines and Enhances Their Ex Vivo Expansion and Engraftment in Non obese Diabetic/Severe Combined Immunodeficient Mice," demonstrated that the Company's second lead product CTCE-0214 significantly multiplied the number of stem cells and related progenitor cell subsets from human cord blood through a process called ex-vivo expansion and improved engraftment in a rodent model. CTCE-0214 demonstrated the ability to significantly increase the expansion of all cell subsets studied, including important cell subtypes called CFU-GEMM and SCID- repopulating cells which have been identified as important stem cells for clinical use. Improved methods to increase the number of the most primitive stem cells are expected to expand the potential therapeutic uses of cord blood in regenerative medicine.
About Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center is one of the most renowned non- profit organizations located in Seattle, Washington. The Center's interdisciplinary team of world-renowned scientists work together to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, HIV/AIDS and other diseases. Center researchers, including three Nobel laureates, bring a relentless pursuit and passion for health, knowledge and hope to their work and to the world. For more information, please visit www.fhcrc.org.
About CTCE-0214
CTCE-0214 is a stable peptide analog of stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) and an agonist of the SDF-1 receptor called CXCR4, a key signaling protein in the proliferation, homing, engraftment and expansion of hematopoietic stem cells and white blood cells. SDF-1 is also believed to work as a traffic controller for infection-fighting white blood cell and progenitor cell migration providing an essential function to combat immunosuppression. CTCE-0214, based on Chemokine's preclinical research, mimics the activity of the natural chemokine SDF-1 by increasing the level of white blood cells (neutrophils), bleeding prevention cells (platelets) and stem cells (primitive blood forming cells) in the blood. The Company recently announced the completion of the first of its Phase I clinical trial tests. The Company confirmed that the positive safety profile and efficacy results from the Phase I trial of CTCE-0214 warranted the accelerated development of the product. Ongoing trials are designed to test the safety and efficacy of CTCE-0214 for stimulating rapid mobilization and regeneration of infection- fighting white blood cells and other cells of hematopoietic (blood) origin. Low blood counts compromise the infection-fighting ability of patients undergoing chemotherapy. Further, CTCE-0214 may also be useful for applications in regenerative medicine as the compound has been shown to increase the growth, multiplicity, maturity and life span of stem cells.
About Chemokine Therapeutics Corp.
Chemokine Therapeutics is a product-focused biotechnology company developing drugs in the field of chemokines. Chemokines are a class of signaling proteins which play a critical role in the growth, differentiation and maturation of cells necessary for fighting infection, and stem cells, as well as tissue repair and regeneration. Chemokine Therapeutics is a leader in research in the field of chemokines and has several products in various stages of development. For more information, please visit the Company's website at www.chemokine.net.
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For further information contact: Elite Financial Communications Group Chemokine Investor Relations Dodi Handy President & CEO Phone: 407.585.1080 E-mail: chkt@efcg.net
Chemokine Therapeutics Corp.CONTACT: Elite Financial Communications Group, Chemokine InvestorRelations, Dodi Handy, President & CEO, Phone: (407) 585-1080, E-mail:chkt@efcg.net
