DoD recommends funding for Synta's STA-9584 for prostate cancer study

Nov 19 2010

Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp. (NASDAQ: SNTA), a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing small molecule drugs to treat severe medical conditions, today announced that the Department of Defense (DoD) has recommended STA-9584, a novel vascular disrupting agent (VDA) currently in pre-clinical development at Synta, be funded for study in advanced prostate cancer. Under the Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program (PCRP) of the Office of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP), STA-9584 is approved for funding of approximately $1 million subject to final negotiations.

“This funding will support the development of STA-9584 to clinical development, a major step forward for the VDA program at Synta. The drug candidate's unique characteristics suggest that STA-9584 has the potential to provide a new therapeutic option for treating advanced prostate cancer.”

"This grant from the DoD is a validation of STA-9584 and is another example of the capabilities of our discovery team and technology platform to produce exciting and potent new small molecule drug candidates," said Safi Bahcall, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer, Synta Pharmaceuticals. "This funding will support the development of STA-9584 to clinical development, a major step forward for the VDA program at Synta. The drug candidate's unique characteristics suggest that STA-9584 has the potential to provide a new therapeutic option for treating advanced prostate cancer."

"STA-9584 is among a class of compounds known as Vascular Disrupting Agents, or VDAs," said Andrew Sonderfan, Ph.D., Vice-President, Drug Disposition and Preclinical Safety at Synta, and the DoD grant principal investigator. "In preclinical models, STA-9584 efficiently kills both cancer cells in tumors as well as the endothelial cells that form blood vessels in tumors, without affecting the vasculature of non-tumor tissues. The inhibition of angiogenesis and disruption of existing tumor vasculature can prevent transport of oxygen and essential nutrients needed by tumors, and lead to substantial tumor shrinkage, particularly in bulky tumors that rely heavily on blood vessels for survival".

First generation angiogenesis inhibitors, such as Avastin^®, work primarily by preventing the formation of new tumor vessels. In contrast, STA-9584 disrupts both new and established tumor vessels. STA-9584's more complete anti-vasculature mechanism, together with complementary direct cancer-cell killing, have potential to be important advantages relative to first generation angiogenesis inhibitors and other endothelial cell-targeted agents.