9 July 2008, London
….. ValiRx plc (AIM:VAL, ‘ValiRx’), the cancer therapeutics and diagnostics
company, has entered into a Licence Agreement with Cancer Research
Technology Limited (“CRT”) to evaluate a novel prostate cancer compound
(coded VAL201) that has been found in
vivo (pre-clinical) to arrest prostate cancer growth.
Under the terms of the License Agreement
with CRT,
ValiRx
has a period of twelve months in which to complete the pre-clinical
regulatory development of VAL201 including toxicology, prior to exercising
its option to acquire exclusive worldwide rights to the compound as an
anti-cancer agent and subsequently progress to clinical trials.
Annual global sales of prostate cancer drugs are
estimated to be US$3 billion. With an ageing population and more effective
screening and diagnostic technologies among other advances, each year 35,000
men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the UK alone. In common with other
cancers, early detection of prostate cancer gives the best chance of
survival, yet presently the tumour claims 10,000 lives annually.
The Directors believe that VAL 201 has the
potential to add significant value to
ValiRx
subject to the compound reaching the remaining pre-clinical and clinical
milestones; early studies have thus far indicated that this lead drug
candidate may also stop tumour growth in patients who are unresponsive to
current treatments.
Satu
Vainikka,
CEO
of ValiRx,
commented: “This agreement further extends our relationship with Cancer
Research Technology and expands our portfolio of late pre-clinical
compounds. If successful, VAL 201 could offer the potential for novel
treatment approaches to prostate cancer treatment where there is currently
unmet need.“
Dr Phil
L’Huillier,
CRT’s director of business management, said: “We are very pleased to enter
into an agreement for
ValiRx
to take forward into preclinical development this promising compound for the
potential treatment of men with hormone resistant prostate cancer.”
- Ends -
Notes
to editors
VAL 201
The novel VAL 201 compound
works by inhibiting the gene-based activity of a key molecule responsible
for prostate cancer progression.
About ValiRx plc
ValiRx plc (AIM:VAL, ‘ValiRx’)
is a cancer therapeutics and diagnostics company headquartered in London,
England and admitted to AIM in October 2006. The Company operates through
two subsidiaries, Cronos Therapeutics Ltd (www.cronostherapeutics.com),
a UK-based epigenetic drug discovery and development business and ValiBIO SA
(www.valibio.com),
a Belgium-based oncology diagnostics operation.
Therapeutics – Cronos Therapeutics Ltd
ValiRx utilises a cells own inherent gene control machinery to silence genes
involved in cancer cell progression, effectively “switching off” genes
involved in certain forms of cancer through its platform technology GeneICE™
(Gene Inactivation by Chromatin Engineering),. GeneICE™ works through the
recruitment of silencing complexes known as Histone Deacetylase Complexes (HDACs)
to target genes involved in cancer. ValiRx’s lead product VAL 101 targets
the anti-apoptotic gene BCL-2 which is over expressed in many cancers
including in pancreatic cancer.
Gene silencing technology
platform potentially represents an innovative and ground breaking new
approach to cancer treatment as it allows for the development of targeted,
personalised medicine and treatment for patients. GeneICE™ is also
applicable to a wide variety of other genetic disorders such as in the
fields of neurology and inflammatory diseases.
Diagnostics – ValiBIO SA
ValiRx currently has two epigenetic diagnosis products - HyperGenomicsTM,
a method for the detection and identification of hypersensitive sites in
cells and NucleosomicsTM, a non-invasive (blood) test for early
cancer diagnosis based on epigenetic signal changes associated with
malignancy – which it licences to its subsidiary, ValiBIO.
More information on the
Company can be found at
www.valirx.com
Cancer Research Technology
Cancer Research Technology Limited (CRT) is a specialist commercialisation
and development company, which aims to develop new discoveries in cancer
research for the benefit of cancer patients. CRT works closely with leading
international cancer scientists and their institutes to protect intellectual
property arising from their research and to establish links with commercial
partners.
CRT facilitates the
discovery, development and marketing of new cancer therapeutics, vaccines,
diagnostics and enabling technologies. CRT is wholly owned by Cancer
Research UK, the largest independent funder of cancer research in the
world. Further information about CRT can be found at
www.cancertechnology.com
Contact
Details:
|
College Hill |
+44 (0)20
7457 2020 |
|
Sue Charles,
Justine Lamond |
valirx@collegehill.com |
|
ValiRx
|
|
|
CEO Dr. Satu
Vainikka |
+44 (0)20 3008 4416 |
|
Cancer Research
Technology (CRT) |
+44 (0) 207 061 8309 |
|
Josie Gray |
josie.gray@:cancer.org.uk
|
|
WH Ireland Ltd |
|
|
David Youngman /
Adrian Kirk |
+44 (0)161 832 2174 |
