BUFFALO, N.Y., Nov. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Kinex Pharmaceuticals LLC, announced today that their drug KX2-391 (KX01) has begun Phase 1 human testing. The study is entitled "A combined rising single-dose (RSD) and rising multiple-dose (RMD) Phase 1 study to evaluate safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of KX2-391 in patients with advanced malignancies that are refractory to conventional therapies". The drug belongs to an emerging new family of targeted cancer treatments called protein kinase inhibitors.
Dosing has begun at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, N.Y., and will commence in the next several days at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. The trial is expected to enroll 50 patients with advanced solid tumors and lymphoma and will evaluate safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics. Exploratory biomarker studies will also be involved.
"What's remarkable about this compound is that, in preclinical testing, it has worked against every cancer and in every animal model," said David Hangauer, a University at Buffalo chemistry professor whose work was integral to the drug's creation. Hangauer is a co-founder of Kinex and serves as the Company's Senior Vice President of Research and Development. KX2-391 targets an important cell signaler called Src kinase, a protein linked to the rapid growth and spread of cancer cells. A potential advantage of Kinex's kinase inhibitor is that it disrupts Src at a site different from where other currently studied compounds are targeted, reducing the chance that patients will develop resistance to the new drug, Hangauer said.
"As we go further in the drug's development, and do broader testing, we get better and better data," said Allen Barnett, Chief Executive Officer of Kinex Pharmaceuticals. "We are extremely enthusiastic about the potential for KX2-391 because it represents a unique approach for the treatment of cancer. It is a first-in-class drug that has the potential to provide patients with a safe and effective treatment for a broad range of tumor types," said Barnett.
Contact: Lyn Dyster
CONTACT: Lyn Dyster of Kinex Pharmaceuticals, +1-716-881-8984
Web site: http://www.kinexpharma.com//
