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news.OncoGenex Technologies has in-licensed the rights to inhibitors of a heat shock protein from the University of British Columbia and accepted the protein as an anticancer target under a collaboration with Isis Pharmaceuticals.
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Heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27) is a small protein that is over-expressed in numerous tumor types and is associated with treatment resistance through its ability to help cancer cells survive stress-induced injury.
In preclinical single agent studies, OGX-427, Isis and OncoGenex’ second-generation antisense drug, demonstrated significant anti-tumor activity at very low concentrations. In addition, when combined with chemotherapy in preclinical prostate cancer studies, OGX-427 significantly enhanced the anti-tumor activity of the chemotherapeutic agent.
OGX-427 will add to OncoGenex’s growing pipeline of therapeutics targeting cancers resistant to standard treatments. Based on preclinical data generated to date, OncoGenex anticipates that OGX-427 will be the second product in its portfolio to enter clinical development, which is slated to begin in 2006.
“OncoGenex has selected a promising anticancer target in Hsp27. This target appears to play an important role in helping cancer cells survive, particularly breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers. Therefore, developing a drug that inhibits Hsp27 may prolong the lives of cancer patients,” said Frank Bennett, Isis’ vice president of antisense research.
“Our collaboration on OGX-011, the most advanced drug in our partnership, has advanced quickly and yielded compelling clinical data. We are optimistic that OncoGenex will be similarly successful in advancing OGX-427 through clinical development.”