April 11, 2008
Ascenta Therapeutics Highlights Multiple Data Presentations at Next Week’s AACR 2008 Conference in San Diego
Malvern, Pennsylvania, April 11, 2008
Ascenta Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that its small molecule portfolio of apoptosis-triggering compounds will be featured in oral presentations and poster presentations this week at the 2008 American Association of Cancer Research Conference, being held April 12-16, 2008 at the San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, CA.
Preclinical studies of AT-101, Ascenta’s oral pan-Bcl-2 protein family inhibitor, currently in randomized Phase 2 trials, will be featured in presentations, highlighting its activity in CLL, NHL, neuroblastoma, and prostate cancer tumor models. Presentations will also cover Ascenta’s inhibitors of the MDM2 (HDM2) target. The full schedule of presentations featuring Ascenta's technology is as follows:
|
Date |
Time |
Title |
Presenter/ Collaborator |
Session |
Location Abstract # |
|
April 13 |
2-5:30 PM |
BH3 response profiles from isolated neuroblastoma mitochondria predict sensitivity to discrete BH antagonists |
Kelly C. Goldsmith, Brian J. Lestini, Ashish Bhumbla, Laura Ip, Bruce Pawel, Xueyuan Liu, Michael D. Hogarty. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), Philadelphia, PA |
Minisymposium Pediatric Cancer 1 |
Room 6D #1626 |
|
2-5:30 PM |
Targeting bcl-2 family members with AT-101 in pre-clinical models of aggressive lymphoma produces a marked improvement in therapeutic efficacy |
Luca Paoluzzi, Mithat Gonen, Jeffrey R. Gardner, Jill Mastrella, Dajun Yang, Jon Holmlund, Mel Sorensen, Katia Manova, Mark L. Heaney, Owen A. O'Connor. Columbia University, New York, NY, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, Ascenta Therapeutics, Inc, Malvern, PA |
Minisymposium Small Molecule Inhibitors of Novel Targets |
Room 33A-C #1593 |
|
|
April 14 |
8 AM - Noon |
AT-101-induced apoptosis in CLL cells is independent of cell adhesion-mediated drug resistance |
Kumudha Balakrishnan, Jan A. Burger, Michael J. Keating, William G. Wierda, Varsha Gandhi. UT M.D. Anderson Cancer Ctr., Houston, TX |
Poster Session New Targets 1: Mechanisms |
Exhibit Hall B-F #2345 Board #: 15 |
|
1-5 PM |
Small-molecule approach to block p53-MDM2 interaction as a cancer therapeutic strategy |
Shaomeng Wang. University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI |
Late-Breaking Poster Session Late-Breaking Research: Cancer Chemistry |
Exhibit Hall B-F #LB-144 Board #: 1 |
|
|
April 15 |
10 AM - Noon |
Development of selective small molecule inhibitors of the MDM2-p53 protein-protein interactions as new cancer therapies: Progress and remaining challenges |
Shaomeng Wang. University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI |
Symposium The Stanley J. Korsmeyer Memorial Symposium: Apoptosis and Therapy |
Room 6B #4393 Board #: 29 |
|
1-5 PM |
BH3 activation overcomes Hdmx suppression of apoptosis and co-operates with Hdm2 inhibitors to induce cell death |
Mark Wade, Rose Rodewald, Joaquin M. Espinosa, Geoffrey M. Wahl. Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO |
Poster Session Regulation of Bcl-2 and Caspases for Cancer Therapy |
Exhibit Hall B-F #4393 Board #: 29 |
|
|
April 16 |
8 Am – Noon |
Synergistic effect of combination treatment with MI-219, a small molecule inhibitor of the MDM2-p53 interaction, and kinase inhibitors or chemotherapeutic agents. |
Guangfeng Wang, Ting Zhang, Ping Min, Yan Zhang, Xinyan Ni, Hengbang Wang, Jia Wang, Sanmao Kang, Lidong Xing, Xiaolan Ling, Nathalie Bruey-Sedano, Dajun Yang. Ascenta Therapeutics, Malvern, PA |
Poster Session Heat Shock Protein Inhibitors, Aurora Kinase, and Other Mitotic Inhibitors |
Exhibit Hall B-F #5655 Board #: 27 |
|
10 AM - Noon |
Design of small-molecule antagonists to target the MDM2-p53 protein-protein interaction for cancer treatment |
Chairperson Shaomeng Wang. University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI |
Symposium Small-Molecule Inhibitors to Target Protein-Protein Interactions as a New Cancer Therapeutic Strategy |
Room 6B |
"We are very pleased that our compounds will be well-represented again this year at the AACR annual meeting," said Ascenta's CEO, Mel Sorensen, MD. "Academic collaborations are an important part of the Ascenta approach to advancing its apoptosis-triggering technology."
Ascenta is a privately-held biopharmaceutical company that discovers and develops new medicines for the treatment of cancer. The company is headquartered in Malvern, Pennsylvania, and has a preclinical research facility in Shanghai, China. Its technology, licensed from both the National Institutes of Health and the laboratory of Dr. Shaomeng Wang at the University of Michigan, is focused on discovering molecules that bind targets in endogenous apoptosis pathways to promote apoptosis in cancer cells.
For additional information on Ascenta Therapeutics, please visit the company’s website at http://ascenta.com
Contact information:
Brian Wood
Ph: 610.408.0301