SAN DIEGO, Oct. 19, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TRACON Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company that develops targeted therapies for oncology and ophthalmology, announced today that it has entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to collaborate on the study of TRC105 for the treatment of prostate cancer. TRC105 is TRACON's clinical stage monoclonal antibody that targets CD105, an endothelial cell membrane receptor that is essential for the process of new blood vessel formation called angiogenesis. Tumor growth and metastasis are dependent on angiogenesis, and CD105 is strongly expressed on the blood vessels of most solid cancers. By inhibiting angiogenesis and attacking the preformed blood vessels in established tumors, TRC105 is expected to have activity against a wide variety of solid cancer types. Under the terms of the CRADA, TRACON and the NCI will collaborate over a 5-year period to develop TRC105 as a treatment for prostate cancer, the most common cancer affecting men in the United States. "This CRADA is a significant milestone in the development of TRC105," said Bryan Leigh, MD, TRACON's Chief Medical Officer. "We look forward to working closely with the NCI as we move ahead with Phase 2 clinical trials of TRC105 as a therapy for prostate cancer."
