SAN DIEGO, Dec. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- SGX Pharmaceuticals announced that it will present data today at the American Society of Hematology’s 47th Annual Meeting and Exposition showing that compounds discovered by applying its FAST(TM) lead discovery platform potently inhibit wild-type and Gleevec-resistant BCR-ABL, including the most clinically challenging mutation T315I.
The clinical success of Gleevec has demonstrated that BCR-ABL kinase inhibitors can provide effective treatment of Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML). However, some patients develop resistance to Gleevec therapy, which occurs due to point mutations in the BCR-ABL kinase and there is currently no approved pharmaceutical treatment for such Gleevec-resistant CML. Although effective against many of the other clinically relevant mutants, second-generation BCR-ABL inhibitors currently in clinical studies have not been shown to inhibit T315I, which represents about 20 percent of clinically observed mutations and is one of the most common causes of resistance to treatment with Gleevec.
During an oral presentation in the session entitled “Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia: Molecular Mechanisms of Disease and Resistance” taking place today at 9:45 a.m., Stephen K. Burley, M.D., D.Phil., SGX Pharmaceutical’s Chief Scientific Officer and Senior Vice President, Research, will present in vitro and in vivo data showing that compounds in SGX’s most advanced lead series potently inhibit proliferation of K562 cells and Ba/F3 cells with wild-type BCR-ABL and most clinically-relevant mutations, including T315I.
SGX expects to file an IND in late 2006 to permit clinical development of a compound from its lead series of BCR-ABL kinase inhibitors for treatment of drug-resistant CML.
About SGX Pharmaceuticals
SGX Pharmaceuticals (SGX) is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative cancer therapeutics. More information can be found at www.sgxpharma.com .
SGX Pharmaceuticals
CONTACT: Virginia Amann of Atkins + Associates, +1-608-274-6046,vamann@irpr.com, for SGX Pharmaceuticals
Web site: http://www.sgxpharma.com/
