Pharmaxis Ltd (ASX:PXS) (FRA:UUD) drug discovery PXS-5505 will be the focus of a new study funded by a grant from the Charlie Teo Foundation, an Australian charity, for key research into a drug discovery tackling an aggressive and deadly form of brain cancer.
The drug, PXS-5505, which has commenced a phase 1/2a clinical trial for the rare bone marrow cancer myelofibrosis, will now enter pre-clinical efficacy testing for glioblastoma (GBM), the most common form of brain cancer with an average survival of only 15 months from diagnosis.
A$186,837 research grant
Charlie Teo Foundation has awarded a A$186,837 research grant to Y Alan Wang, PhD, associate professor of Cancer Biology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to enable the study of PXS-5505.
Pharmaxis CEO Gary Phillips said: “We are delighted the Charlie Teo Foundation has awarded this grant to enable study of PXS-5505, aiming to fight this devastating form of brain cancer which is in desperate need of treatment options.
"I lost my own father to glioblastoma, so this project is close to my heart.
"We sincerely thank the Charlie Teo Foundation for recognising the potential for PXS-5505 and taking this last step to validate effectiveness."
Potent inhibitor
Lysyl oxidase enzymes play a crucial role in GBM because they attract inflammatory cells that accelerate tumour growth and reduce survival.
PXS-5505 is a potent inhibitor of lysyl oxidases and should stop these processes.
Pharmaxis’ drug has demonstrated a good safety profile in healthy volunteer clinical studies in Australia.
Previous research has already shown the importance of lysyl oxidases to tumour growth in GBM, and the current research will seek to validate the effectiveness of the Pharmaxis drug in brain cancer models.
Phillips said: “The study will run over one year and if successful can lead to clinical trials in 2022.
“This new project accesses external funds and expertise to extend the potential uses of PXS-5505 which is already entering efficacy trials in myelofibrosis, a rare form of bone marrow cancer, which is currently enrolling patients in a phase 1c/2 clinical trial.”
Worldwide, it’s estimated there are more than 300,000 cases of brain and nervous system tumours each year with GBM being the most common form (Lancet Neurol 2019).
“Out of the box thinking”
Charlie Teo Foundation founder and director Professor Charlie Teo said: “As a neurosurgeon what I see most from my patients is shock and disbelief that there are no treatment options available to them.
“There is only one first-line chemotherapy and radiation therapy and these treatments only extend life by a matter of months. My brain cancer patients do not accept this fate, and neither do I.
“Charlie Teo Foundation is bringing together teams who we consider to be the best brains around the globe, combining the necessary expertise with ground‐breaking technology and ‘out of the box’ thinking.
“Together, we believe we can improve treatment options for people with brain cancer.”
Funding brain cancer research
Charlie Teo Foundation is an Australian charity dedicated to funding brain cancer research.
Brain cancer kills more children in Australia than any other disease and more young people under 40 than any other cancer.
The charity was officially launched by Professor Charlie Teo in March 2018, on the premise of running a low-cost charity and funding research differently.
To date, Charlie Teo Foundation has raised more than $14 million for brain cancer research.