The study results appear in the June edition of Cancer Research, a journal published by the American Association of Cancer Research.
The authors describe results showing that Azixa displays significant activity in inhibiting the growth of a broad spectrum of solid tumor lines in athymic nude mice, including human breast, colon, pancreas, ovarian and mouse melanoma. Additional in vitro studies demonstrated that Azixa exerts its effects by binding of tubulin, thereby inhibiting polymerization and leading to cell cycle arrest and apoptosis.
Unlike other tubulin-disrupting cancer treatments, Azixa had efficacy against tumor cells that over-expressed the three main protein transporters responsible for multidrug resistance, indicating that Azixa may prove effective against drug resistant tumors in a clinical setting.
Azixa was licensed by EpiCept to Myriad Genetics as part of an exclusive, worldwide development and commercialization agreement. The compound is currently being evaluated in two phase II human clinical trials, one in patients with primary brain cancer and the other in brain metastases due to melanoma. EpiCept’s licensing agreement with Myriad for Azixa includes milestone payments, and sublicensing income as well as future royalties in the event Myriad’s development of Azixa continues to progress successfully.