CAMBRIDGE, MA, USA I April 11, 2013 I Verastem, Inc., (NASDAQ: VSTM) focused on discovering and developing drugs to treat cancer by the targeted killing of cancer stem cells, presented data from the focal adhesion kinase (FAK) inhibition program at the 2013 American Association of Cancer Research annual meeting in Washington, DC, April 6-10, 2013.
Verastem has multiple clinical trials either ongoing or scheduled for 2013 in the FAK inhibition program. Lead FAK inhibitor, VS-6063, is currently in a Phase 1/1b trial in combination with paclitaxel for the treatment of ovarian cancer. VS-6063 is scheduled to enter a potentially pivotal study in mesothelioma midyear 2013. VS-4718 is expected to enter a Phase 1 trial for advanced cancers in the first half of 2013.
“Recent research has identified FAK as a critical regulator of the tumor-initiating capacity of cancer stem cells,” said Robert Weinberg, Ph.D., Verastem cofounder and chair of the Scientific Advisory Board. “Cancer stem cells have the ability to reactivate mechanisms that are used in early development but are generally dormant in normal adult tissue. These mechanisms confer upon the cancer stem cell the ability to self-renew, metastasize and seed new tumors.”
The studies presented at AACR show that inhibition of FAK, by either genetic deletion or inhibition with a small molecule kinase inhibitor, preferentially killed cancer stem cells in breast and mesothelioma cell lines. In contrast, standard chemotherapies commonly used in the clinical treatment of these diseases increased the proportion of cancer stem cells. Enrichment of cancer stem cells by chemotherapy was diminished when combined with the FAK inhibitor VS-4718. Further, in xenograft models of triple negative breast cancer, the tumor-initiating potential was 200-fold lower in VS-4718-treated tumors than in paclitaxel-treated tumors.
“These data clearly demonstrate that FAK is a key signaling node for cancer stem cells. The reduction of tumor-initiating capacity following treatment of mice with our FAK inhibitor is remarkable when compared to the increased tumor-initiating capacity following paclitaxel treatment,” said Jonathan Pachter, Ph.D., Verastem Vice President and Head of Research.
Copies of all posters presented by Verastem at the 2013 AACR annual meeting can be downloaded at http://bit.ly/YpiUBL
About Verastem, Inc.
Verastem, Inc. (NASDAQ: VSTM) is discovering and developing drugs to treat cancer by the targeted killing of cancer stem cells. Cancer stem cells are an underlying cause of tumor recurrence and metastasis. Verastem is developing small molecule inhibitors of signaling pathways that are critical to cancer stem cell survival and proliferation: FAK, PI3K/mTOR and Wnt. For more information, please visit www.verastem.com.
SOURCE: Verastem
Post Views: 233
CAMBRIDGE, MA, USA I April 11, 2013 I Verastem, Inc., (NASDAQ: VSTM) focused on discovering and developing drugs to treat cancer by the targeted killing of cancer stem cells, presented data from the focal adhesion kinase (FAK) inhibition program at the 2013 American Association of Cancer Research annual meeting in Washington, DC, April 6-10, 2013.
Verastem has multiple clinical trials either ongoing or scheduled for 2013 in the FAK inhibition program. Lead FAK inhibitor, VS-6063, is currently in a Phase 1/1b trial in combination with paclitaxel for the treatment of ovarian cancer. VS-6063 is scheduled to enter a potentially pivotal study in mesothelioma midyear 2013. VS-4718 is expected to enter a Phase 1 trial for advanced cancers in the first half of 2013.
“Recent research has identified FAK as a critical regulator of the tumor-initiating capacity of cancer stem cells,” said Robert Weinberg, Ph.D., Verastem cofounder and chair of the Scientific Advisory Board. “Cancer stem cells have the ability to reactivate mechanisms that are used in early development but are generally dormant in normal adult tissue. These mechanisms confer upon the cancer stem cell the ability to self-renew, metastasize and seed new tumors.”
The studies presented at AACR show that inhibition of FAK, by either genetic deletion or inhibition with a small molecule kinase inhibitor, preferentially killed cancer stem cells in breast and mesothelioma cell lines. In contrast, standard chemotherapies commonly used in the clinical treatment of these diseases increased the proportion of cancer stem cells. Enrichment of cancer stem cells by chemotherapy was diminished when combined with the FAK inhibitor VS-4718. Further, in xenograft models of triple negative breast cancer, the tumor-initiating potential was 200-fold lower in VS-4718-treated tumors than in paclitaxel-treated tumors.
“These data clearly demonstrate that FAK is a key signaling node for cancer stem cells. The reduction of tumor-initiating capacity following treatment of mice with our FAK inhibitor is remarkable when compared to the increased tumor-initiating capacity following paclitaxel treatment,” said Jonathan Pachter, Ph.D., Verastem Vice President and Head of Research.
Copies of all posters presented by Verastem at the 2013 AACR annual meeting can be downloaded at http://bit.ly/YpiUBL
About Verastem, Inc.
Verastem, Inc. (NASDAQ: VSTM) is discovering and developing drugs to treat cancer by the targeted killing of cancer stem cells. Cancer stem cells are an underlying cause of tumor recurrence and metastasis. Verastem is developing small molecule inhibitors of signaling pathways that are critical to cancer stem cell survival and proliferation: FAK, PI3K/mTOR and Wnt. For more information, please visit www.verastem.com.
SOURCE: Verastem
Post Views: 233
