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Angiochem presents data further demonstrating the role of LRP-1 in cancer

20-Apr-2010

–Data For Oncology Programs Presented At American Association For Cancer Research Meeting–

Montreal, Canada – Angiochem a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing drugs that are uniquely capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB) through LRP-1 targeting, announced today that preclinical data was presented on two of its oncology programs, ANG1005 and ANG1007, for the treatment of brain cancers at the 101st Annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2010, April 17-21, in Washington, DC. These data demonstrated that Angiochem’s novel anticancer agents target the low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP-1) pathway to achieve efficient penetration rates in the brain and tumor cells.

Angiochem researchers presented preclinical data validating the effectiveness of LRP targeting by ANG1005, Angiochem’s most advanced product candidate which has successfully completed Phase 1/2 clinical trials in glioblastoma (GBM) and brain metastases. These preclinical data demonstrated effective transport of ANG1005 into glioblastoma cells as well as in the transcytosis of ANG1005 at the blood BBB through the LRP-1. The study demonstrated an increased uptake of ANG1005 in implanted GBM brain tumors using in vivo imaging as compared to normal brain tissue, indicating that LRP-1 is over-expressed in GBM cells and the GBM tumor microenvironment favors ANG1005 uptake. This study provides further evidence that ANG1005 can be an effective therapy to treat aggressive brain cancers such as GBM.

In addition, preclinical data was presented demonstrating that ANG1007, a new anticancer compound from Angiochem’s Engineered Peptide Compounds (EPiC) platform, achieved greater penetration of doxorubicin to the brain and cancer cells than native doxorubicin and circumvented multi-drug resistant cancer mechanisms. In mouse brain perfusion studies, ANG1007 was transported efficiently across the BBB at a rate 10-fold higher than native doxorubicin and inhibited cancer cell proliferation in vitro, with highly cytotoxic activities against various tumor cell lines. In addition, brain perfusion studies performed with P-gp knockout mice showed that ANG1007 bypassed multi-drug resistant mechanisms, inhibited the growth of glioblastoma tumors and increased survival of mice implanted with brain tumors.

“Angiochem’s LRP-1 targeting has the potential to transform chemotherapeutic agents, such as paclitaxel and doxorubicin, to a new level of effectiveness for the treatment of gliomas by enabling penetration of the drug through the BBB and multi-drug resistance mechanisms,” said Jean-Paul Castaigne, MD, President and CEO of Angiochem. “In total these data confirm that targeting the LRP-1 receptor validates Angiochem’s product-generating platform for the development of novel brain cancer therapies.”

About ANG1005 // ANG1005 has a novel mode of action, targeting the lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP-1) pathway. ANG1005 was created with the Engineered Peptide Compounds (EPiC) platform which leverages the LRP-1 mediated pathway. Studies have shown that ANG1005 gains entry into the brain by targeting LRP-1, one of the most highly expressed receptors on the surface of the BBB. ANG1005 enters tumor cells using the same receptor-mediated pathway through LRP-1, which is upregulated in various cancer cells including gliomas, Breast , Lung, Liver and Ovarian cancers.

About AngioChem // Angiochem is a clinical-stage biotechnology company discovering and developing new breakthrough drugs that are uniquely capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to treat brain diseases. The company’s proprietary Engineered Peptide Compounds (EPiC) technology creates drugs that cross the BBB and reach therapeutic concentration in the brain, by harnessing naturally-occurring receptors on the surface of the BBB. Angiochem’s lead product candidate, ANG1005 is in two separate clinical studies in patients with brain cancers and cancer metastases. Additionally, Angiochem is developing a deep and broad product pipeline, including small and large molecules, for the potential treatment of a wide range of CNS diseases, including neurodegenerative and metabolic diseases, brain cancer, psychiatric disorders and many others. Founded in 2006, Angiochem maintains headquarters in Montreal, Canada. For additional information about the Company, please visit : http://www.angiochem.com.