October 23, 2007
Ascenta Therapeutics Highlights Multiple Data Presentations
at This Week's AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference
in San Francisco
San Diego, California, October 23, 2007
Ascenta Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that its small molecule portfolio of apoptosis-triggering compounds will be featured in two oral presentations and several poster presentations this week at the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics, being held October 22-26, 2007 at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, CA.
Preclinical studies of AT-101, Ascenta’s oral pan-Bcl-2 inhibitor, currently in randomized Phase 2 trials, will be featured in 2 presentations, highlighting its activity in xenograft lung cancer models. Ascenta’s collaborators at the University of Michigan will present data on the next generation of small molecule BH3 mimetics. Presentations will also cover Ascenta’s inhibitors of the MDM2 and XIAP targets. The full schedule of presentations featuring Ascenta's technology is as follows:
Oral Presentations:
Tues Oct.23, 2007, 4:30 PM-5:30 PM
Design, Synthesis, and Evaluation of Bivalent Conformationally Constrained Smac Mimetics that Concurrently Target both BIR2 and BIR3 Domains of XIAP
Presenter: Dr. Haiying Sun, U. Michigan
Proffered Papers: #PR-2
Wed Oct 24, 2007, 2:30PM-4:30PM
Design of Small-molecule SMAC Mimetics as Apoptosis Inducers in Tumor Cells: Molecular Insights into Apoptosis Regulation
Presenter: Dr. Shaomeng Wang
Session 2: Small Molecule Approaches to the Regulation of Apoptosis
Poster Presentations on Tues Oct. 23, 2007
Preclinical Studies of the Orally Active, Pan-Bcl-2 Small Molecule Inhibitor AT-101 in Small Cell Lung Cancer
Presenter: Dr. Ting Zhang
Abstract #A44
In Vivo Efficacy of AT-101, an Orally Active Pan-Bcl-2 Family Protein Inhibitor in Combination with Docetaxel or Erlotinib for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Presenter: Dr. Guangfeng Wang
Abstract #A51
Development and Validation of Mitochondria-based Functional Assays to Investigate the Mechanism of Small Molecule Inhibitors of Bcl-2/Bcl-xL/Mcl-1 (BH3 mimetics) in Cell-free Systems
Presenter: Dr. Jiangting Long, U. Michigan
Abstract #A214
Poster Presentations on Wed Oct. 24, 2007
A Novel Orally Active MDM2 inhibitor (MI-219) Activates the p53 Pathway and is Selectively Toxic to Tumor Cells.
Presenter: Dr. Sanjeev Shangary, U. Michigan
Abstract #B271
Design of Cyclic Smac Mimetic Peptide andIn VitroCharacteristics of its Complex with X-linked Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein (XIAP)
Presenter: Dr. Zaneta Nikolovska-Coleska, U. Michigan
Abstract #B288
Poster Presentations on Thurs Oct. 25, 2007
In Vivo Tumor Regression Achieved by a Potent Bivalent Smac Mimetic (SM-164) in Combination with TRAIL
Presenter: Dr. Jiangfeng LU
Abstract #C228
BI-33, a Novel and Potent Pan-Bcl-2 Inhibitor, Induces Cell Death in Cancer Cells and Shows Combination Effect with Chemotherapeutic Drugs
Presenter: Dr. Feng Jiang, U. Michigan
Abstract #C229
Founded in 2003, Ascenta is a privately-held biopharmaceutical company that discovers and develops targeted new medicines for the treatment of cancer. The company has offices in Malvern, Pennsylvania and San Diego, California and a preclinical research facility in Shanghai, China. Ascenta�s technology is focused on discovering molecules that hit vulnerable targets in endogenous apoptosis pathways and shut down cell growth and proliferation in cancer cells. Ascenta�s broad pipeline of compounds is licensed from both the National Institutes of Health and the laboratory of Dr. Shaomeng Wang at the University of Michigan.