Reata Drug Effective Highly Effective in Preventing Cancer
Results Published as Cover Article in Cancer Research
DALLAS, TX -- February 17, 2006 -- Reata Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("Reata") today announced the publication of preclinical study results showing that one of Reata's synthetic triterpenoids significantly reduced the formation and growth of liver tumors in rats. This study was featured as the cover article in the February 15th issue of the journal Cancer Research. This work, which was previously presented at the AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research, was conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins University and Dartmouth Medical School.
In this study, rats were treated with RTA 403 (also known as CDDO-Im) and exposed to aflatoxin, a fungal metabolite that damages DNA and triggers the formation of cancerous tumors in the liver. Dietary exposure to aflatoxin is a major risk factor for the development of liver cancer in many parts of the world. Even at very low doses, RTA 403 was highly effective at preventing the development of precancerous lesions in the livers of treated rats. At higher doses, the drug was 99% effective. RTA 402 was significantly more potent than any previously tested drug in this model, which is regarded as an excellent indicator of the ability to prevent human cancer.
RTA 403 and related compounds under development at Reata were originally discovered by cancer researchers at Dartmouth who were searching for drugs that inhibit key inflammatory enzymes. Because chronic inflammation is known to promote the development and growth of several major types of cancer, it was believed such anti-inflammatory drugs would hold great potential in preventing and treating cancer. This new study confirms the ability of this novel class of drugs to protect against the development of cancer, and complements a large body of published preclinical data demonstrating that Reata's triterpenoids are highly effective in shrinking or stopping the growth of established tumors.
Further, researchers linked the cancer preventive effects of RTA 403 to the activation of Nrf2, a gene that regulates important antioxidant and detoxifying enzymes with the cell. RTA 403 and Reata's other synthetic triterpenoids have been shown in previous studies to be the most potent known activators of this pathway. This indicates that these agents should be able to protect cells from a wide variety of injuries caused by chemical, radiation, or chemotherapy damage. Reata has produced a substantial body of preclinical data demonstrating these drugs do, in fact, protect against the toxicities of standard cancer therapies such as chemotherapy and radiation, while simultaneously exerting a positive anti-cancer effect.
The two lead molecules in this series, RTA 401 and RTA 402, are in Phase 1 clinical development in cancer patients. Both agents caused minimal toxicities in preclinical toxicology studies in large mammals, and are expected to have an excellent therapeutic index in humans. RTA 403, the third molecule in this series, is in advanced preclinical development.
Further details about the liver cancer prevention study can be found in the February 15, 2006 issue of the journal Cancer Research. Further details about Reata's synthetic triterpenoid program can be found on Reata's website at www.reatapharma.com.
About Reata
Reata Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel treatments for cancer, inflammation, and neurodegenerative diseases. Founded in 2002, Reata is developing five distinct classes of cancer drugs licensed from leading academic institutions. The company's most advanced products, RTA 744 for primary brain cancer. RTA 401 for hematological cancers and solid tumors, and RTA 402 for solid tumors, lymphoma, and myeloma, are in Phase 1 clinical development. Reata is matching its clinical and preclinical drug development programs with a best-of-class drug discovery platform to identify small molecule chaperones that can correct misfolding and malfunction of p53, SOD, and Tau, proteins that play a central role in the pathology of cancer and neurodegenerative disease.
For more information, please see www.reatapharma.com.
For more information, press only:
Warren Huff
(972) 865-2200
warren.huff@reatapharma.com
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