Syntrix today announced their participation in the NCI Formulary, a public-private partnership between the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to expedite the use of agents in clinical trials. The partnership, now with twenty-nine targeted agents from nine pharmaceutical companies, will seek to alleviate the lengthy process to develop new therapies for patients, and respond to the call for greater collaboration within the industry made by Vice President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot Initiative.
“Collaboration among pharmaceutical companies within a singular investigational cancer formulary will speed up the development of novel effective combination therapies for the benefit of patients,” said John Zebala, M.D., Ph.D., CEO of Syntrix. “Syntrix has focused on developing drugs which block immunosuppressive myeloid cells in the tumor microenvironment, which we believe is essential for cancer therapies to be most effective. We’re excited to join the NCI Formulary by providing our CXCR1/2 inhibitor, SX-682, to the broad research community for additional development, particularly in combination therapy trials.”
The establishment of the NCI Formulary will facilitate and streamline the arrangements for access to and use of pharmaceutical agents from multiple organizations, allowing for further research on various therapeutic opportunities. Following Syntrix’s approval, investigators will be able to obtain and test SX-682 in new preclinical or clinical studies, including combination studies with formulary agents from different companies.
ABOUT SX-682: SX-682 is a clinical-stage oral allosteric small-molecule inhibitor of CXCR1 and CXCR2 (CXCR1/2). Inhibiting both human isoforms is believed essential. CXCR1/2 are a combined “master switch” of the tumor microenvironment, where they control tumor cell metastasis, the epithelial to mesenchymal transition, the influx of immunosuppressive MDSCs and neutrophils and angiogenesis. Clinical studies in melanoma, breast, ovarian, prostate and colon cancer have shown a direct correlation between serum levels of CXCR1/2 ligands and disease progression. SX-682 has been validated in all major solid tumor models, where it exhibits mono-agent anti-tumor activity, blocks metastasis, depletes immunosuppressive myeloid cells, activates tumor killing by effector cells, reverses chemo-resistance, and potently synergizes with anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD1.
ABOUT SYNTRIX: Syntrix is a pharmaceutical company committed to discovering and delivering innovative therapies by doing things differently. We innovate in discovery and clinical trials, engineer risk prospectively, integrate IP strategy creatively, and leverage non-dilutive capital to solve the most difficult clinical problems. Convergent Science & Strategy. Breakthrough Medicines.
DISCLOSURE NOTICE: This release contains forward-looking information that are based on company management’s current beliefs and expectations and are subject to currently unknown information, risks and circumstances and actual results may vary from what is being currently projected. In addition, from time to time, Syntrix or its representatives have made or may make forward-looking statements, orally or in writing. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “may,” “should”, “could” or “anticipate” or their negatives or other variations of these words or other comparable words or by the fact that these statements do not relate strictly to historical or current matters. Forward-looking statements relate to anticipated or expected events, activities, trends or results as of the date they are made. Because forward-looking statements relate to matters that have not yet occurred, these statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause Syntrix’s actual results to differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Many factors could cause Syntrix’s actual activities or results to differ materially from the activities and results anticipated in such forward-looking statements. Syntrix does not undertake any obligation to publicly update these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Media Contact: Aaron Schuler, PhD, 253-833-8009, x21
