SRI International, an independent nonprofit research and development organization, announced today that researchers have developed an anti-angiogenic molecule SR16388 that has demonstrated preclinical antitumor activity against multiple myeloma (MM). The new research was recently presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), held in Washington, D.C.
Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the immune system that affects plasma cells in bone marrow. It is the second most common blood-based malignancy (after lymphoma), affecting approximately 20,000 new patients each year.
"More effective treatment options for multiple myeloma are urgently needed and the SRI cancer drug discovery team is actively working on developing next-generation agents that may extend the lives of patients and lead to a cure," said Lidia Sambucetti, Ph.D., senior director of SRI's Center for Cancer Research.
SR16388 has been shown to have excellent oral bioavailability and a favorable safety profile. In studies, it has shown to potently inhibit angiogenesis in lung and prostate cancers. Based on in vitro and in vivo preclinical data, SRI researchers believe that SR16388 has promise as a new therapeutic for the treatment of multiple myeloma. In the new work presented at AACR, researchers demonstrated that SR16388 inhibits the growth of multiple myeloma cells and experimental tumors. This agent is different from current multiple myeloma therapies in that it works by blocking the ability of cancer cells to survive and grow in hypoxic (low oxygen level) microenvironments that are typical of this malignancy. In part, the drug does this by inhibiting the development of new blood vessels that supply oxygen and nutrients to multiplying cancer cells. SR16388 is currently in late-stage preclinical development, which will prepare the agent for entry into human clinical trials.
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