DUBLIN, Calif., June 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SuperGen Inc. , a pharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, rapid development and commercialization of therapies for solid tumors and hematological malignancies, today announced at the 13th Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA) in Copenhagen, Denmark, that its lead, oral PIM kinase inhibitor, SGI-1776, causes tumor regression in acute myologenous leukemia (AML) xenograft models (abstract #744).
In a poster presentation entitled "A potent small molecule PIM kinase inhibitor with in vivo oral availability and activity in cell lines from hematological malignancies," Dr. Gregory Berk, SuperGen's Chief Medical Officer, detailed how scientists used SuperGen's CLIMB(TM) technology to build a model that allowed for the creation of small molecule PIM kinase inhibitors. SGI-1776 was identified as an orally available, potent and selective inhibitor of the PIM kinases. SGI-1776 induces cell cycle arrest, dose dependent apoptosis and a reduction in phospho-BAD levels in leukemia and lymphoma cell lines. Phospho-BAD is a direct substrate for PIM, and may serve as a useful in vivo biomarker for future clinical trials. Most notably, SGI-1776 induced significant tumor regression in MOLM-13 and MV-4-11 (AML) xenograft models.
"Our PIM kinase inhibitor, SGI-1776, has the potential to be an effective treatment for AML and other malignancies that over-express PIM kinase," said Dr. James Manuso, SuperGen's President and Chief Executive Officer. "The data also provide support for the use of our CLIMB(TM) technology to identify and rapidly advance candidates into the clinic. We plan to initiate Phase 1 clinical trials with SGI-1776 in solid tumors and leukemias later this year. SGI-1776 may become the first drug in this class of inhibitors to enter the clinic."
About SuperGen
Based in Dublin, Calif., SuperGen, Inc. is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, rapid development and commercialization of therapies for solid tumors and hematological malignancies. SuperGen is developing a number of therapeutic anticancer products focused on kinase and cell signaling inhibitors and DNA methyltransferase inhibitors. For more information about SuperGen, please visit http://www.supergen.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains certain "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are typically preceded by words such as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "will," "may," "should," or similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in these statements. Factors that might cause the company's results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the ability to discover, develop and move target compounds into clinical development and other risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including its most recently filed Form 10-Q and 10-K. SuperGen, Inc. undertakes no duty to update any of these forward-looking statements to conform them to actual results.
CONTACT: Timothy L. Enns, SVP, Corporate Communications & Business
Development, +1-925-560-0100, tenns@supergen.com, or Mary M. Vegh, Manager,
Investor Relations, +1-925-560-2845, mary.vegh@supergen.com, both of
SuperGen, Inc.
Web site: http://www.supergen.com/
