LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Advanced Cancer Therapeutics (ACT), a privately held company dedicated to bringing new anti-cancer therapies to market, today announced that it has signed an exclusive agreement to leverage the translational research expertise of Dr. Jason Chesney, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine at the University of Louisville’s James Graham Brown Cancer Center (Brown Cancer Center), to identify new clinical candidates for the prevention and treatment of cancers against two key cancer metabolic targets.
As part of this agreement, over the next twenty-four months, Dr. Chesney will work with ACT to further refine and advance the preclinical candidates and backup compounds against two exciting and novel cancer targets that are known as 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-biphosphatase 3 (PFKFB3) and Choline Kinase (CK), both key cancer metabolism targets identified by Dr. Chesney as essential for cancer cell growth. ACT previously obtained worldwide exclusive licenses from the Brown Cancer Center for these two cancer metabolic programs summarized below:
- PFKFB3: High glucose consumption is commonly observed in cancer cells. As PFKFB3 is the enzyme involved in an irreversible step of glycolysis, ACT synthesized over 100 rationally designed inhibitors of this protein. Scientific evidence suggests that inhibitors of the PFKFB3 enzyme block glucose uptake in cancer cells therefore inhibiting cancer cells proliferation and tumor growth.
- Choline Kinase: Choline Kinase, the enzyme responsible for the phosphorylation of choline into phosphocholine, is over expressed in most solid tumors including lung, breast, ovarian, brain and prostate cancers. ACT’s medicinal chemists have developed over 150 rationally designed, potent compound inhibitors that inhibit choline kinase enzymatic activity, cell proliferation and tumor growth in xenograft studies.
“Dr. Chesney has long been a thought-leader in cancer metabolism and his research has always been high quality and cutting-edge,” said Randall Riggs, President & CEO of ACT. “We are delighted to collaborate with him as we move closer to selecting novel clinical candidates that may prove to be lifesaving therapeutics for cancer patients.”
In addition, Dr. Chesney is the Associate Director for Translational Research and the Medical Director of the Clinical Trials Office at the Brown Cancer Center.
About Advanced Cancer Therapeutics (ACT):
ACT is a privately held company dedicated to advancing novel therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of cancer. ACT has successfully established a unique and innovative business model with the University of Louisville’s James Graham Brown Cancer Center (Brown Cancer Center) whereby ACT is able to obtain exclusive worldwide licenses to novel cancer therapeutics discovered at Brown Cancer Center under preset business terms. ACT then fast-tracks these discoveries, including the selection process for partnership, commercialization and manufacture, to the pharmaceutical industry, and ultimately to the patients who need them. Led by Dr. Don Miller, the Brown Cancer Center employs over fifty scientists focused on the discovery and advancement of breakthrough cancer therapeutics for patients suffering from cancer. www.advancedcancertherapeutics.com
About James Graham Brown Cancer Center:
The James Graham Brown Cancer Center is a key component of the University of Louisville's Health Sciences Center and UofL Health Care. As the region's leading academic, research, and teaching medical center, our patients benefit from the latest medical advances, often long before they become available in non-teaching settings. The Brown Cancer Center is affiliated with the Kentucky Cancer Program and the National Cancer Institute. It is the only cancer center in the region to use a unified approach to cancer care, with multidisciplinary teams of physicians working together to guide patients through diagnosis, treatment and recovery. www.browncancercenter.org
CONTACT:
Advanced Cancer Therapeutics
Randall B. Riggs, 502-345-8911
President & CEO
[email protected]
KEYWORDS: United States North America Kentucky
INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Health Biotechnology Oncology Pharmaceutical Research Science
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