CLEVELAND--Case Western Reserve University's Technology Transfer Office has entered a worldwide exclusive licensing agreement with TRACON Pharmaceuticals of San Diego, Calif., to develop Methoxyamine, a new cancer therapeutic that reverses cancer cell resistance to chemotherapy. Methoxyamine is a "first in class" drug that targets a specific DNA repair pathway.
TRACON Pharmaceuticals is an emerging biotechnology company focused on identifying, developing and commercializing targeted therapies for cancer and angiogenesis. TRACON's management team couples their ability to execute with their extensive knowledge of oncology drug development and first generation targeted therapies, enabling them to advance the development of next generation cancer therapies.
Methoxyamine was developed by University Hospitals Case Medical Center researchers Stanton Gerson, M.D., director of the National Cancer Institute-designated Case Comprehensive Cancer Center and University Hospitals Ireland Cancer Center, and Lili Lui, Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine in the department of hematology and oncology at the Case School of Medicine. They were the first to show the therapeutic potential of Methoxyamine as an anti-cancer drug in combination with other agents.
"We are very excited about the potential of this new drug. The promise of overcoming a major mechanism of drug resistance in cancer is terrific news for many patients. We see potential applications in patients with brain cancers, melanoma, lung cancer and leukemias and perhaps other cancers," said Gerson.
Under the licensing agreement, TRACON will develop and manage clinical trials of Methoxyamine. "We are excited to be able to develop Methoxyamine. Chemotherapy represents the most commonly used class of agents to treat cancer patients. Unfortunately, resistance of cancer cells to chemotherapy prevents many patients from benefiting. Methoxyamine's unique ability to reverse res
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Contact: Susan Griffith
susan.griffith@case.edu
216-368-1004
Case Western Reserve University
13-Oct-2006