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news.Enzon Pharmaceuticals has said that the FDA has approved the investigational new drug application for its HIF-1 alpha antagonist a target in many cancer types, including common solid tumors.
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“The continued advancement of the HIF-1 alpha program demonstrates our commitment to developing a differentiated cancer portfolio,” said Jeffrey Buchalter, chairman and CEO of Enzon.
HIF-1 alpha is a key regulator of a large number of genes important in cancer biology, such as angiogenesis, cell proliferation, apoptosis and cell invasion. HIF-1 alpha is low in normal cells, but reaches high intracellular concentrations in a variety of cancers and is strongly correlated with poor prognosis and resistance to therapy. Drugs targeting HIF-1 alpha thus have the potential to target multiple cancer processes.
Enzon licensed the HIF-1 alpha antagonist from Santaris in July 2006 along with the Survivin antagonist and six additional proprietary RNA antagonists, all directed against novel cancer targets selected by Enzon. The company plans to initiate a phase I trial in the first half of 2007.