Trillium Therapeutics Inc. (TTI), a biopharmaceutical company developing innovative immune-based biologics, today announced that preliminary results from its cancer stem cell program, targeting the CD47 protein, will be reported in an oral presentation at the 52nd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting to be held in Orlando, Florida, December 4-7, 2010. The presentation, entitled "Acute Myeloid Leukemia Stem Cells Escape Innate Immune Surveillance by Macrophages through Interaction with SIRPa", will take place at 2:45 PM on Monday December 6 in room 308. The work was conducted in the laboratories of Trillium collaborators Drs. John Dick and Jean Wang at University Health Network, and Dr. Jayne Danska at The Hospital for Sick Children, in Toronto, Ontario, and will be presented by Dr. Alexandre Theocharides.
Over expression of CD47 by leukemic stem cells is thought to deliver an inhibitory signal through the SIRPa receptor on macrophages, allowing the cancer cells to escape phagocytosis. Trillium is developing an antagonizing SIRPaFc fusion protein that blocks this inhibitory signal, allowing host macrophages to attack the cancer.
"Trillium, through its CD200Fc and CD200 antibody programs, has a longstanding interest in immune regulation", commented Trillium's Vice President, R&D, Dr. Bob Uger. "The SIRPaFc program allows us to extend this expertise into the field of leukemic stem cells, which have emerged as important targets in the search for more effective cancer treatments. We will continue to work closely with our academic colleagues to move this program forward and secure a third-party development partner."
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