4SC AG
4SC AG: 4SC at ASCO: 4SC 202 and checkpoint inhibitors – strong partners in cancer treatment
DGAP-News: 4SC AG / Key word(s): Conference/Study results 4SC at ASCO: 4SC-202 and checkpoint inhibitors – strong partners in cancer treatment 4SC-202’s epigenetic mechanism of action makes tumors receptive to treatment with checkpoint inhibitors to which they would otherwise be resistant Planegg-Martinsried, Germany, 2 June 2016 – 4SC AG (4SC, FSE Prime Standard: VSC) will present new research data at ASCO 2016 for its cancer compound 4SC-202. Current experiments show that due to its epigenetic mechanism of action, 4SC-202 is an effective combination partner for checkpoint inhibitors when treating cancer. 4SC-202 strengthens the body’s own immune system, is well-tolerated and can be taken in tablet form. Examples of checkpoint inhibitors that have returned promising data after investigation in clinical trials worldwide include drugs that block the PD-1 (Programmed Death-1) receptor on the surface of immune cells. The PD-1 receptor interacts with its PD-L1 or PD-L2 ligands on the surface of cancer cells to prevent the immune cells from attacking the tumor. With the PD-1 receptor blocked, cancer cells can no longer escape the immune response. In mice treated with 4SC-202, the growth rate of cancer tissue was significantly slower than in the untreated control group. Unlike comparable medications, 4SC-202 targeted and attacked cancer cells while leaving immune cells largely untouched. In another mouse model, 4SC’s team of scientists has now shown that 4SC-202 is an effective combination partner for checkpoint inhibitors. “4SC-202 inhibits tumor growth, and the number of immune cells attacking the cancer tissue was substantially increased by treatment with 4SC-202 at clinically relevant doses,” says 4SC’s Chief Development Officer and & Chief Scientific Officer Dr Daniel Vitt, in summarizing the new experiments. “In a subsequent step, we gave the animals PD-1 blockers only or PD-1 blockers combined with 4SC-202. While treatment with PD-1 blockers alone in these animals had virtually no effect, tumor size receded substantially in the group receiving the combination therapy. This shows that 4SC-202 induces a response in tumors that would otherwise be resistant to treatment with checkpoint inhibitors.” 4SC’s CEO & CFO Enno Spillner explains the significance of these data: “We are happy to be able to present another set of encouraging data for our epigenetic oncology compound 4SC-202. When combined with the finding that 4SC-202 strengthens the body’s immune response to cancer, these data underscore the potential of 4SC-202, which was first demonstrated during last year’s successfully completed Phase I TOPAS trial. In this clinical study, 4SC-202 proved to be safe and well-tolerated in patients with advanced hematologic cancer. The new data we have collected offer additional options for the clinical development of 4SC-202, particularly in combination with the large number of checkpoint inhibitors either already on the market or in clinical development.” Key treatment approaches now being considered include those for patients with hematological tumors and small-cell lung cancer.
– End of press release – Further information The Ruth Group
2016-06-02 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP – a service of EQS Group AG. |
Language: | English | |
Company: | 4SC AG | |
Am Klopferspitz 19a | ||
82152 Planegg-Martinsried | ||
Germany | ||
Phone: | +49 (0)89 7007 63-0 | |
Fax: | +49 (0)89 7007 63-29 | |
E-mail: | public@4sc.com | |
Internet: | www.4sc.com | |
ISIN: | DE000A14KL72 | |
WKN: | A14KL7 | |
Listed: | Regulated Market in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Regulated Unofficial Market in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Munich, Stuttgart, Tradegate Exchange | |
End of News | DGAP News Service |