Heidelberg, October 10, 2007 - Apogenix GmbH, a biopharmaceutical company developing novel protein therapeutics based on the targeted modulation of apoptosis (programmed cell death), today announced the publication of new research findings of its scientific advisors Prof Giorgio Stassi, M.D., and Matilde Todaro, M.D., in this month’s Cell Stem Cell (October 2007). The data demonstrate that human cancer stem cells can be eliminated with high efficacy by combining chemotherapeutic drugs with compounds blocking the so-called IL-4 signaling pathway. Cancer stem cells are thought to be responsible for the development of metastases, which may re-appear years after the removal of a primary tumor and subsequent chemotherapy. Apogenix develops a promising portfolio of IL-4 blockers to address this mechanism and expects to initiate first clinical trials by 2010.
