Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) And Inflection Biosciences Collaborate On A New Cancer Treatment

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Inflection Biosciences Ltd, a private company developing highly innovative treatments for cancer, today announced a collaboration with the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) on pre-clinical testing of its innovative dual mechanism PIM/PI3K inhibitor IBL-202. PIM and PI3K are two key regulators in signalling pathways that have proved essential for the proliferation and survival of myeloma cells.

The MMRF investigators will test the effectiveness of IBL-202 alone and in combination with other therapeutics in pre-clinical models of multiple myeloma. These models are recognised to be predictive of clinical efficacy in cancer patients with multiple myeloma. IBL-202 is a dual mechanism kinase inhibitor that selectively inhibits PIM and PI3K without affecting the activity of other kinases.

Darren Cunningham, Chief Executive Officer of Inflection Biosciences, commented, ‘Initial pre-clinical data we have generated for IBL-202 holds promise for those patients suffering with multiple myeloma. MMRF support will greatly assist us in further evaluating the potential of IBL-202 for patients with multiple myeloma, one of the many indications we hope to consider.’

The MMRF is working with Inflection Biosciences through its Translational Network of Excellence program, which supports critical research at leading academic medical centers focused on promising investigational therapies for multiple myeloma.

Walter M. Capone, President and Chief Executive Officer of the MMRF, commented, ‘Inflection Biosciences, and its innovative PIM/PI3K program, is precisely the type of visionary biotech/pharma partnership the MMRF is committed to, in our relentless pursuit of promising treatment options for multiple myeloma. The MMRF launched its Translational Network of Excellence last year to advance the most promising research for novel targets and drug validation, immune biology, myeloma-related diseases and minimal residual disease (MRD). We are tremendously excited to partner with Inflection Biosciences in the development of this novel and potentially promising therapy.’

Dr. Michael O’Neill, Director of Research and Development at Inflection Biosciences, added ‘This collaboration with a leading cancer research foundation is a tremendous validation for our compound and our work so far. We look forward to working with the MMRF and its network of researchers to establish the effectiveness of our compound in multiple myeloma.’

About Multiple Myeloma (MM)

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a cancer of the plasma cell. It is the second most common form of blood cancer accounting for about 1% of all cancers or 10% of all haematological malignancies. An estimated 24,050 adults (13,500 men and 10,550 women) in the United States will be diagnosed with MM in 2014 and an estimated 11,090 people are predicted to die from the disease with an equivalent incidence of approximately 5 per 100,000 of the population in Europe. The five-year survival rate for MM is approximately 43%.

About the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation

The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) was established in the United States in 1998 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization by twin sisters Karen Andrews and Kathy Giusti, soon after Kathy’s diagnosis with multiple myeloma. The mission of the MMRF is to relentlessly pursue innovative means that accelerate the development of next-generation multiple myeloma treatments to extend the lives of patients and lead to a cure. As the world’s number-one private funder of multiple myeloma research, the MMRF has raised $275 million since its inception and directs nearly 90% of total budget to research and related programming. As a result, the MMRF has been awarded Charity Navigator’s coveted four-star rating for 11 consecutive years, the highest designation for outstanding fiscal responsibility and exceptional efficiency. For more information about the MMRF, please visit www.themmrf.org.

About PIM/PI3 kinase inhibitors

The PI3K/AKT pathway is commonly activated in human cancer. Multiple small-molecule inhibitors have been developed to target PI3K/mTOR or AKT kinases, but the efficacy of these drugs is compromised by the stimulation of compensatory signalling pathways. One example of such compensatory pathways is that driven by PIM kinases, which produce parallel oncogenic signals to AKT and mTOR and share several downstream molecular targets. Therefore, combined inhibition of such activities in a single molecule might have the potential to achieve better clinical efficacy and prevent/suppress resistance in comparison with classical PI3K/AKT/mTOR inhibitors. Pre-clinical studies with Inflection Biosciences’ dual acting inhibitors have shown efficacy in haematological cancers including multiple myeloma.

About Inflection Biosciences

Inflection Biosciences Ltd, based in Dublin and London, is developing small molecule therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. The company’s pipeline of highly innovative cancer treatments were licensed from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO). The pipeline comprises IBL-202 (PIM/PI3K inhibitor) and IBL-301 (PIM/PI3K/mTOR inhibitor), selected from a series of unique dual mechanism kinase inhibitors and the IBL-100 series (highly selective pan-PIM kinase inhibitors), currently in pre-clinical stages of development. Data generated to date suggests potential application in a range of haematological malignancies and treatment resistant solid tumours. Inflection Biosciences was named ‘Start-up Company of the Year’ at the 2014 Irish Pharma Awards. For more information please visit www.inflectionbio.com

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