Viventia Biotech Inc. today announced it has initiated patient dosing for its Phase I clinical trial of VB6-845
TORONTO, Canada | June 11, 2007 | Viventia Biotech Inc., a privately heldbiopharmaceutical company advancing a portfolio of novel antibody products forthe treatment of cancer, today announced it has initiated patient dosing forits Phase I clinical trial of VB6-845. Designed for systemic use againstmetastatic cancers, VB6-845 is a humanized antibody fragment targeting EpCAMfused with the Company’s proprietary deimmunized form of the cytotoxic proteinBouganin.
The Phase I dose-escalation trial will enroll 40-50 patients withadvanced epithelial cancers that are EpCAM positive and is designed toestablish the safety and preliminary efficacy of this novel cytotoxicconjugate. The study will be conducted as a solid tumors "all comers" trial,so that accrual can be expedited and a range of responses obtained.
"Our unique approach to creating cancer drugs has yielded a novelantibody-based therapeutic with the potential to be safer than traditionalcancer treatments while attacking cancers in their most lethal form, once theyhave metastasized," said Dr. Nick Glover, President and CEO of ViventiaBiotech. "We look forward to advancing this Phase I trial and evaluating thesafety and early efficacy results expected later this year."
VB6-845 has demonstrated effective cancer cell killing properties inpre-clinical tests. A full array of animal efficacy studies and safety studiesof VB6-845 for the treatment of ovarian cancer and other solid tumors has beencompleted. In animal xenograft studies, VB6-845 elicited 100% complete curesof established ovarian tumors. VB6-845 has been shown to be safely toleratedin both primate and rodent animal safety studies.
Viventia is expanding its late-stage pipeline with additional novelanti-cancer therapeutics consisting of human antibodies obtained from itsproprietary antibody generation platform Hybridomics(TM) conjugated to itsproprietary cytotoxic protein Bouganin. Viventia retains full global productrights to all of its drug candidates and technology platforms. The Company’sbusiness development efforts are focused on identifying and selecting apartner capable of complementing Viventia’s development expertise with globalsales, marketing and commercialization capabilities.
About Bouganin
Originally isolated from the Amazonian tropical shrub, Bougainvilleaspectabilis, Bouganin is a novel ribosome inactivating protein from anemerging class of novel anti-cancer and anti-viral agents isolated fromvarious plant species. Bouganin has a benign safety profile against normal,healthy cells, but has potent anti-cancer activity against many types ofepithelial tumors. Viventia has further maximized the therapeutic potential ofthis promising cytotoxic protein through deimmunization, a method that rendersthe plant protein invisible to the immune system, thus facilitating systemic,multi-dose therapeutic strategies. Bouganin is being developed by ViventiaBiotech as a key component in its anti-metastatic cancer program.
About Viventia Biotech
Viventia Biotech Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company developing ArmedAntibodies(TM), powerful and precise anti-cancer drugs that combine cytotoxicprotein payloads with the highly precise tumor-targeting characteristics ofmonoclonal antibodies to overcome various forms of cancer. Viventia’s leadproduct, Proxinium(TM), is undergoing a global Phase III clinical trial forthe treatment of head and neck cancer. Viventia is also developingVicinium (TM), which is undergoing a Phase II clinical study for the treatmentof bladder cancer. The Company has created a portfolio of follow-onantibody-based drug candidates and has a discovery engine to provide a richand sustainable long-term pipeline.
SOURCE: Viventia Biotech
Post Views: 132
Viventia Biotech Inc. today announced it has initiated patient dosing for its Phase I clinical trial of VB6-845
TORONTO, Canada | June 11, 2007 | Viventia Biotech Inc., a privately heldbiopharmaceutical company advancing a portfolio of novel antibody products forthe treatment of cancer, today announced it has initiated patient dosing forits Phase I clinical trial of VB6-845. Designed for systemic use againstmetastatic cancers, VB6-845 is a humanized antibody fragment targeting EpCAMfused with the Company’s proprietary deimmunized form of the cytotoxic proteinBouganin.
The Phase I dose-escalation trial will enroll 40-50 patients withadvanced epithelial cancers that are EpCAM positive and is designed toestablish the safety and preliminary efficacy of this novel cytotoxicconjugate. The study will be conducted as a solid tumors "all comers" trial,so that accrual can be expedited and a range of responses obtained.
"Our unique approach to creating cancer drugs has yielded a novelantibody-based therapeutic with the potential to be safer than traditionalcancer treatments while attacking cancers in their most lethal form, once theyhave metastasized," said Dr. Nick Glover, President and CEO of ViventiaBiotech. "We look forward to advancing this Phase I trial and evaluating thesafety and early efficacy results expected later this year."
VB6-845 has demonstrated effective cancer cell killing properties inpre-clinical tests. A full array of animal efficacy studies and safety studiesof VB6-845 for the treatment of ovarian cancer and other solid tumors has beencompleted. In animal xenograft studies, VB6-845 elicited 100% complete curesof established ovarian tumors. VB6-845 has been shown to be safely toleratedin both primate and rodent animal safety studies.
Viventia is expanding its late-stage pipeline with additional novelanti-cancer therapeutics consisting of human antibodies obtained from itsproprietary antibody generation platform Hybridomics(TM) conjugated to itsproprietary cytotoxic protein Bouganin. Viventia retains full global productrights to all of its drug candidates and technology platforms. The Company’sbusiness development efforts are focused on identifying and selecting apartner capable of complementing Viventia’s development expertise with globalsales, marketing and commercialization capabilities.
About Bouganin
Originally isolated from the Amazonian tropical shrub, Bougainvilleaspectabilis, Bouganin is a novel ribosome inactivating protein from anemerging class of novel anti-cancer and anti-viral agents isolated fromvarious plant species. Bouganin has a benign safety profile against normal,healthy cells, but has potent anti-cancer activity against many types ofepithelial tumors. Viventia has further maximized the therapeutic potential ofthis promising cytotoxic protein through deimmunization, a method that rendersthe plant protein invisible to the immune system, thus facilitating systemic,multi-dose therapeutic strategies. Bouganin is being developed by ViventiaBiotech as a key component in its anti-metastatic cancer program.
About Viventia Biotech
Viventia Biotech Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company developing ArmedAntibodies(TM), powerful and precise anti-cancer drugs that combine cytotoxicprotein payloads with the highly precise tumor-targeting characteristics ofmonoclonal antibodies to overcome various forms of cancer. Viventia’s leadproduct, Proxinium(TM), is undergoing a global Phase III clinical trial forthe treatment of head and neck cancer. Viventia is also developingVicinium (TM), which is undergoing a Phase II clinical study for the treatmentof bladder cancer. The Company has created a portfolio of follow-onantibody-based drug candidates and has a discovery engine to provide a richand sustainable long-term pipeline.
SOURCE: Viventia Biotech
Post Views: 132
