MONMOUTH JUNCTION, N.J., Feb. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- There are now high hopes for a cancer abandoned by researchers in the mid-1990’s. Researchers have recently discovered that triciribine-phosphate (TCN-P) may serve as a targeted therapeutic against malignant tumors.
Modern advances have inspired the resurrection of TCN-P, now called VQD- 002 by VioQuest Pharmaceuticals. Credit for this medical re-invention goes to the drug discovery team at the University of South Florida’s H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute. In a published study in Cancer Research (July 2004), Moffitt researchers reported that low doses of VQD-002 were effective in stopping the growth of certain human tumors that had been grafted onto mice, with no reported side effects.
“Our optimism is based on a new understanding of tumor biology. With this understanding, we will be able to provide patients with a drug that is targeted to a specific type of cancer, says VioQuest Pharmaceuticals CEO Daniel Greenleaf.
The compound was most effective in treating tumors that had abnormal levels of a cellular protein called “Akt.” Hyperactive Akt is found in 70% of patients with leukemia, 40% of patients with breast cancer, 30% with colon cancer and 50% with melanoma.
Such abnormal levels of Akt proteins are thought to cause resistance to standard cancer drugs. But researchers found that VQD-002 reduced the levels of hyperactive Akt in certain cancer tissues, leading to reduced cancer growth. VioQuest will sponsor a clinical trial with VQD-002 at Moffitt.
“Participants will initially have their tumor tissue tested to see whether they have abnormal levels of Akt. If so, they’ll be given the drug, and then undergo a subsequent test to determine the level of overactive Akt proteins. These steps are designed to identify patients who stand the best chance of benefiting from the drug,” said Greenleaf.
For more information, visit http://www.vioquestpharma.com.
VioQuest Pharmaceuticals
CONTACT: Janet Vasquez of IRG, +1-212-825-3210,jvasquez@investorrelationsgroup.com
Web site: http://www.vioquestpharma.com/
