Cantrixil proves highly effective at killing human ovarian stem cells in pre-clinical study

Mar 30 2015

US-Australian drug discovery company, Novogen Ltd, (ASX:NRT; NASDAQ: NVGN) and its subsidiary, CanTx, Inc., and Yale University, on March 27 released pre-clinical data on experimental anti-cancer drug, Cantrixil. The data was presented as an oral presentation by Professor Gil Mor MD PhD of Yale Medical School to the 62^nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society of Reproductive Investigation in San Francisco, CA.

In both in vitro and in animal studies, Cantrixil, has proved highly effective at killing human ovarian stem (tumor-initiating) cells, cells that otherwise are highly resistant to standard of care cytotoxic drugs and which generally are believed to be responsible for diseases recurrence following initial therapy. Researchers have been keen to understand how the active ingredient in Cantrixil, TRXE-002, is able to achieve this effect where other drugs have failed.

The data shows that Cantrixil specifically activates the JNK-Jun pathway leading to mitochondrial damage and the induction of genes associated with cell death (apoptosis). In addition, Cantrixil blocks the survival pathway pERK. The combination of these two cellular effects (down-regulation of pro-survival and up-regulation of pro-death pathways) provides a unique advantage to target chemo-resistant cancer stem cells.

Cantrixil is due to enter its first-in-man study in late-2015. The study will enroll patients with the terminal condition, malignant ascites, associated with late-stage abdominal carcinomatosis of various types of cancer, but mainly targeting ovarian cancer and colo-rectal cancer.

SOURCE Novogen Ltd