The patented molecule, now called CXS299, is a platinum (IV) anticancer compound invented by professors in the department of experimental therapeutics at MD Anderson Cancer Center. CXS299 is active against cancer cells resistant to approved platinum-based therapies and possesses unique properties that may allow physicians to target patients who are most likely to benefit from therapy.
CXS299 has an enhanced level of activity against cancer cells that have the wild type p53 gene. In many disease types, such as ovarian, breast, testicular and non-small lung cancer, up to 45-90% of patients who fail chemotherapy have wild type p53 in their tumor cells and, typically, these patients are highly resistant to additional therapies.
By targeting tumors with the wild type p53 gene, ChemGenex believes that it will be able to identify patients more likely to respond to therapy, and to enhance the clinical outcomes for these patients.
Dr Greg Collier, CEO and managing director of ChemGenex, commented, “CXS299 represents an excellent opportunity to exploit the genomic understanding of cancer biology to develop better and more targeted therapies.”
News of the licensing has sent shares in ChemGenex up by almost 4% on the Australian Stock Exchange.