SALT LAKE CITY, March 17, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Myrexis, Inc. (Nasdaq:MYRX), a biotechnology company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing novel treatments for cancer, today announced it will present nine posters at the 102nd annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), April 2 – 6, 2011, in Orlando, Florida.
The posters will highlight key preclinical findings from two of Myrexis' oncology programs: MPC-3100, its fully synthetic, orally-bioavailable, non-geldanamycin heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) inhibitor, which is completing Phase 1 clinical studies in solid and hematological refractory cancer patients; and its unique cancer metabolism inhibitor, MPC-9528, which is currently in preclinical studies and has demonstrated dramatic tumor regression in animal models across multiple tumor types using a variety of dosing schedules.
Abstracts describing the upcoming presentations are available online at www.aacr.org.
| MPC-3100: | |
| Poster Number: | 2617 |
| Title: | MPC-3100, a Synthetic Hsp90 Inhibitor, Induces Biomarker Changes in vitro and in vivo |
| Date & Time: | Monday, April 4, 2011; 1pm – 5pm |
| Location: | Exhibit Hall A4-C, Poster Section 29 |
| Poster Number: | 2628 |
| Title: | Anti-Tumor Activity of MPC-3100, a Synthetic Hsp90 Inhibitor, in Combination with Erlotinib and Sorafenib |
| Date & Time: | Monday, April 4, 2011; 1pm – 5pm |
| Location: | Exhibit Hall A4-C, Poster Section 29 |
| Poster Number: | 3233 |
| Title: | Comparative in vitro and in vivo Metabolism of MPC-3100, an Oral Hsp90 Inhibitor in Rat, Dog, Monkey and Human |
| Date & Time: | Tuesday, April 5, 2011; 8am – 12pm |
| Location: | Exhibit Hall A4-C, Poster Section 15 |
| Poster Number: | 3237 |
| Title: | Evaluation of the Pharmacokinetics and Efficacy of a Novel Pro-Drug of the Hsp90 Inhibitor MPC-3100, Designed with Improved Solubility |
| Date & Time: | Tuesday, April 5, 2011; 8am – 12pm |
| Location: | Exhibit Hall A4-C, Poster Section 16 |
| MPC-9528 | |
| Poster Number: | 577 |
| Title: | Co-Administration of Nicotinic Acid with the Nampt Inhibitor MPC-9528 Enhances Anti-Tumor Activity in Naprt Deficient Cancer Cells in Culture and in Xenografts |
| Date & Time: | Sunday, April 3, 2011; 1pm – 5pm |
| Location: | Exhibit Hall A4-C, Poster Section 25 |
| Poster Number: | 2551 |
| Title: | The Nampt Inhibitor MPC-9528 Synergizes with DNA Damaging Agents |
| Date & Time: | Monday, April 4, 2011; 1pm – 5pm |
| Location: | Exhibit Hall A4-C, Poster Section 27 |
| Poster Number: | 3526 |
| Title: | Basal NAD Levels and Nampt Expression Correlates with the Sensitivity of Tumor Cell Lines in vitro and in vivo to the Nampt Inhibitor MPC-9528 |
| Date & Time: | Tuesday, April 5, 2011; 8am – 12pm |
| Location: | Exhibit Hall A4-C, Poster Section 27 |
| Poster Number: | 4386 |
| Title: | Administration of Nicotinic Acid Reduces or Prevents Adverse Effects of MPC-9528, a Potent and Selective Nampt Inhibitor |
| Date & Time: | Tuesday, April 5, 2011; 1pm – 5pm |
| Location: | Exhibit Hall A4-C, Poster Section 23 |
| Poster Number: | LB-393* |
| Title: | The Cancer Metabolism Inhibitor MPC-9528 Induces Tumor Regression in Xenograft Models with Multiple Dosing Schedules |
| Date & Time: | Tuesday, April 5, 2011; 1pm – 5pm |
| Location: | Exhibit Hall A4-C, Poster Section 39 |
| * Late-breaker poster |
About MPC-3100
MPC-3100 is a novel, fully-synthetic, orally-bioavailable, small-molecule inhibitor of heat shock protein 90 that is currently in Phase 1 clinical studies. MPC-3100 is structurally distinct from geldanamycin-derived Hsp90 inhibitors and this unique structure appears to reduce the off-target toxicities that are common to this group of drugs. In non-clinical studies, MPC-3100 demonstrated activity against multiple solid and hematological tumor cell lines, suggesting it may have the potential to treat a wide range of cancers. In the ongoing Phase 1 clinical study, MPC-3100 is administered orally on a daily, continuous schedule which non-clinical studies suggest may optimize drug exposure and improve outcomes.
About MPC-9528
MPC-9528 is an orally-bioavailable, small molecule Cancer Metabolism Inhibitor (CMI) discovered by Myrexis that is currently in preclinical development for the treatment of a variety of cancers. MPC-9528 potently and selectively inhibits nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase, or Nampt, an enzyme critical for converting nicotinamide into nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). Cellular processes such as glucose metabolism, DNA repair and gene expression require and consume NAD. Cancer cells have increased NAD requirements and are highly sensitive to NAD depletion. Blocking the Nampt-NAD pathway severely inhibits cancer cell metabolism, resulting in energy deprivation and ultimately cell death. In animal models, MPC-9528 causes dramatic tumor regressions across multiple tumor types.
Normal healthy human cells produce NAD by a number of different pathways. Additional research however, indicates that that many cancers, as much as 40% of all cancers, lose the ability to produce NAD by these alternative pathways and become absolutely dependent upon Nampt activity. Patients with these tumor types would be particularly responsive to MPC-9528 therapy and a simple companion diagnostic may be used to identify these patients. MPC-9528 has the potential to be the best-in-class Nampt inhibitor with promise for treating a wide variety of cancers.
About Myrexis, Inc.
Myrexis, Inc. is a biotechnology company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing novel treatments for cancer. The Company has leveraged a unique understanding of the genetic causes of human disease to generate a strong pipeline of clinical and preclinical product candidates. These include compounds with distinct mechanisms of action and novel chemical structures that have first-in-class and/or best-in-class therapeutic potential. Myrexis is led by an experienced management team with expertise in human genetics, protein-protein interaction technology, chemical proteomic drug discovery and clinical and commercial development.
For more information, please visit www.myrexis.com.
The Myrexis, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=6327.
Myrexis and the Myrexis logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Myrexis, Inc. in the United States and foreign countries.
Forward-looking statement safe harbor
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements relating to the attributes and potential efficacy of Myrexis' product candidates MPC-9528 and MPC-3100. These "forward-looking statements" are based on management's current expectations of future events and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in or implied by forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" contained in Myrexis' Form 10-K, for the year ended June 30, 2010, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 13, 2010, as well as any updates to those risk factors filed from time to time in Myrexis' Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K. All information in this press release is as of the date of the release, and Myrexis undertakes no duty to update this information unless required by law.