CytRx to present new data on molecular chaperone drug discovery technology

Sep 25 2008

CytRx Corporation today announced that Bin Zhang, Ph.D., Associate Director of Biochemistry and Screening, will present at the monthly meeting of the San Diego "LEADS" discussion group, the premium San Diego consortium of screening researchers, to be held on October 1, 2008.

Dr. Zhang will be presenting for the first time data on the properties of novel, small molecule chaperone amplifier compounds identified through CytRx's proprietary Master Chaperone Regulator Assay (MaCRA), a cell image-based screening tool. MaCRA has enabled CytRx to rapidly and quantifiably screen large numbers of small molecule compounds to identify potential drug candidates that modify the activity of a protein known as heat shock transcription factor 1 (Hsf1) and consequently control entire groups of molecular chaperone proteins that repair or degrade toxic misfolded proteins present in diseased cells. Evaluation of the compounds identified in the screen has shown that they exhibit cytoprotective properties in cell culture models of disease. Information related to the development of MaCRA for compound screening is slated for publication in the November 2008 issue of the peer-reviewed Journal of Biomolecular Screening.

"This is a great opportunity for CytRx to discuss our drug discovery platform MaCRA with other experts in high-throughput and high-content drug screening," stated Dr. Jack Barber, CytRx Chief Scientific Officer. "The exceptional characteristics of the novel compounds identified so far cause us to be optimistic that MaCRA technology may successfully fuel CytRx's drug pipeline."

CytRx is a leader in molecular chaperone regulation technology. The Company currently has three orally-administered, clinical-stage small-molecule programs and recently discovered a series of additional compounds that provide pipeline leads for additional drug candidates. The Company's drug candidates are believed to function by regulating a normal cellular protein repair pathway through the activation or inhibition of "molecular chaperones." Because damaged proteins are thought to play a role in many diseases, CytRx believes that activation of molecular chaperones that help to reduce the accumulation of misfolded proteins may have therapeutic efficacy in a broad range of disease states. Similarly, CytRx believes that the inhibition of molecular chaperones that normally help protect cancer cells from toxic misfolded proteins may result in the selective destruction of cancer cells.