Point Therapeutics Announces Collaboration with the National Cancer Institute; Collaboration Launches the First Clinical Trial t
February 14 2006 - 7:30AM
Business Wire
Point Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: POTP) announced today a
collaboration with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to evaluate
Point's oral anti-tumor drug candidate, talabostat, in combination
with chemotherapy in pediatric patients with solid tumors. The
primary objectives of the Phase 1 study are to evaluate the safety
and dosing of talabostat in combination with chemotherapy in the
pediatric population. The decision of the NCI and Point
Therapeutics to collaborate on this study was based on positive
preclinical data in a sarcoma cell line. Sarcomas are cancerous
tumors of the bone or soft tissues and comprise approximately 7% of
all cancers in children age 20 years or younger. It is anticipated
that many of the patients to enroll in this study will have
sarcomas. Additionally anti-tumor effects have been observed in
previous and ongoing clinical trials of talabostat in adult
patients, particularly, when talabostat was given in combination
with chemotherapy or monoclonal antibodies. Talabostat is currently
being studied in two Phase 3 studies in adult patients who have
advanced non-small cell lung cancer as well as several phase 2
studies in various tumor types. "This collaboration is of great
interest to us because it represents our first study in a pediatric
population. In addition, there is a clear unmet clinical need since
these patients have exhausted other treatment options," said Don
Kiepert, President and Chief Executive Officer of Point
Therapeutics. "It also provides us greater insight in determining
the efficacy of talabostat in additional patient populations and
disease states." Talabostat inhibits the dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP)
family of serine proteases. One of the DPPs that talabostat
inhibits is fibroblast activation protein (FAP), which is primarily
expressed in the stroma of tumors and sarcoma tumor cells. Point
believes that the inhibition of FAP can help suppress tumor growth.
No patients have yet been enrolled in the study, but drug has been
shipped to the clinical site. This is the first clinical
collaboration between Point Therapeutics and the NCI. About Point
Therapeutics, Inc.: Point is a Boston-based biopharmaceutical
company developing a portfolio of dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP)
inhibitors for use in cancer, type 2 diabetes and as vaccine
adjuvants. Point is currently studying its lead product candidate,
talabostat, in two Phase 3 trials in NSCLC. Point is also studying
talabostat in several Phase 2 trials, including as a single-agent
in metastatic melanoma, in combination with cisplatin in metastatic
melanoma, in combination with rituximab in advanced chronic
lymphocytic leukemia, and in combination with gemcitabine in
metastatic pancreatic cancer. In addition, Point's portfolio
includes two other DPP inhibitors in preclinical
development--PT-630 for type 2 diabetes, and PT-510 as a vaccine
adjuvant. Certain statements contained herein are not strictly
historical and are "forward looking" statements as defined in the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. This information
includes statements with respect to the company's clinical
development programs and the timing of initiation and completion of
its clinical trials. Forward-looking statements are statements that
are not historical facts, and can be identified by, among other
things, the use of forward-looking language, such as "believes,"
"feels," "expects," "may," "will," "should," "seeks," "plans,"
"schedule to," "anticipates" or "intends" or the negative of those
terms, or other variations of those terms of comparable language,
or by discussions of strategy or intentions. A number of important
factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those
projected or suggested in the forward looking statement, including
the risk factors described in Point's quarterly report on Form 10-Q
for the quarter ended September 30, 2005 and from time to time in
Point's periodic and other reports filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission.
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