DURHAM, NC -- 01/24/08 --
Serenex, Inc., a leader in the discovery and
development of small molecule Heat Shock Protein 90 (Hsp90) inhibitors,
today announced the signing of a Materials Cooperative Research and
Development Agreement (M-CRADA) with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at
the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Under this M-CRADA, Dr. Leonard
Neckers and his colleagues at the NCI will assess Serenex's novel, small
molecule, orally bioavailable Hsp90 inhibitor SNX-5422 as a potential
therapeutic for non-small cell lung cancer.
"In preclinical studies SNX-5422 has shown exceptional efficacy in multiple
xenograft models including lung cancer," said Richard Kent, M.D., president
and chief executive officer of Serenex. "This important collaboration with
the NCI further validates the potential of our Hsp90 Product Platform. We
look forward to collaborating with Dr. Neckers to generate additional data
to support initiating clinical trials in patients with lung cancer."
About Hsp90
Hsp90 is an important molecular chaperone protein that regulates the
folding and stability of key signaling molecules (client proteins) involved
in cell growth and survival. The central role of Hsp90 in cell growth has
made it an attractive target for oncology, and currently there are several
Hsp90 inhibitors in clinical development for the treatment of both solid
and hematological tumors, including SNX-5422. Inhibition of Hsp90 is also
an attractive drug target for Huntington's disease and other
neurodegenerative diseases because a number of the proteins thought to be
responsible for these diseases are either direct client proteins of Hsp90
or are downstream effectors of client proteins.
About Serenex
Serenex is an integrated drug discovery and development company and a
leader in the discovery and development of small molecule Hsp90 inhibitors.
Serenex has a novel small molecule inhibitor of Heat Shock Protein 90,
SNX-5422, which is in phase 1 clinical trials for cancer. SNX-5422 was
developed from the Company's Hsp90 Product Platform, a proprietary
collection of several hundred potent small molecule Hsp90 inhibitors. Hsp90
is a central protein responsible for chaperoning a large number of
oncogenic and other proteins and is believed to play a key role in cancer,
inflammatory diseases, fungal infection resistance, viral diseases and
neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Huntington's disease.
Serenex has ongoing pre-clinical programs in all of these areas.
Additionally, Serenex is developing SNX-1012, a product for oral mucositis
in solid tumor patients scheduled to complete phase 2 clinical trials in
mid-2008. Serenex's pipeline is powered by a proprietary high throughput
screening platform which enables the company to profile compounds, en
masse, against thousands of important therapeutic and toxicity targets.
Website: www.serenex.com.
CONTACT:
Ian Howes
CFO & Sr. V.P. Corporate Development
Serenex, Inc.
919/281-6001
Email Contact
Michelle Linn
Linnden Communications
774-696-3803
Email Contact
