Avalon Updates the AVN944 Phase I Hematologic Malignancies Trial
June 13 2007 - 7:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
GERMANTOWN, Md., June 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Avalon
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVRX), today announced that it is
will provide an update on the Phase I clinical trial of AVN944 in
hematologic malignancies on Tuesday, June 19, 2007, after the close
of the U.S. financial markets. The Company will also host a
conference call on Wednesday, June 20, 2007 at 8 a.m. Eastern Time.
Interested investors, analysts, members of the media and the
general public can listen to the call over the Internet from the
investor section of the Company's website or by dialing the numbers
listed below. A PowerPoint presentation will accompany the webcast
presentation. Conference Call Details: ------------------------
Dial-In: (800) 291-5365(U.S.) (617) 614-3922 (International)
Passcode: 74005634 Webcast: Please go to http://www.avalonrx.com/,
Investor Relations, within 15 minutes prior to the call and select
the webcast link. If listening by phone and viewing the slides,
please choose the 'Live Phone' option to view the slides in real
time as there is a 30 second delay otherwise. The conference call
replay will be available through August 15,2007. About AVN944
AVN944 is an oral small molecule drug candidate that inhibits
inosine monosphospate dehydrogenase (IMPDH), an enzyme that is
critical for cells to be able to synthesize guanosine triphosphate
(GTP), a molecule required for DNA synthesis and cellular
signaling. IMPDH is over expressed in some cancer cells, especially
in the case of hematological malignancies. In laboratory
experiments, AVN944 has been shown to inhibit IMPDH activity in
cells, and suppress pools of GTP. Anticancer activities of IMPDH
inhibitors correlate with sustained depletion of GTP pools both in
cellular models and in human subjects. AVN944 appears to have a
selective effect on cancer cells in that deprivation of GTP in
normal cells results in a temporary slowing of cell growth, while
GTP deprivation in cancer cells induces cell death, or apoptosis.
Results from preclinical studies of AVN944 indicate that AVN944
inhibited the proliferation of lymphoid and myeloid cells, the
principal cells involved in the most common types of human
leukemias. In a single-dose, dose-escalation Phase I clinical trial
of AVN944 conducted in the United Kingdom in healthy volunteers,
AVN944: (1) was well tolerated at all tested doses with no notable
side effects; (2) demonstrated good pharmacokinetic properties; and
(3) had a significant inhibitory effect on IMPDH enzyme activity.
Avalon filed an IND with the FDA in August 2005 and initiated U.S.
Phase I clinical trials in January 2006 for the treatment of
hematological cancers. About Avalon Pharmaceuticals Avalon
Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company using its
proprietary technology, AvalonRx(R), to discover and develop cancer
therapeutics. Avalon has a lead product in Phase I clinical
development (AVN944 - IMPDH inhibitor), as well as preclinical
programs to discover inhibitors for the beta-catenin and aurora
pathways now in late stage lead candidate optimization. Avalon also
has discovery programs on modulators of survivin function and a
drug discovery program targeting the MYC oncoprotein, one of the
most important and previously intractable cancer targets. The
company has value generating partnerships with Merck, MedImmune,
Medarex, and Novartis. Avalon Pharmaceuticals was established in
1999 and is headquartered in Germantown, Md. Contacts: Avalon
Pharmaceuticals Russo Partners, LLC David D. Muth Wendy Lau (Media)
Executive Vice President & Tel: (212) 845-4272 Chief Business
Officer Tel: (301) 556-9900 The Trout Group, LLC Fax: (301)
556-9910 Chad Rubin (Investors) Email: Tel: (646) 378-2947
DATASOURCE: Avalon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. CONTACT: David D. Muth,
Executive Vice President & Chief Business Officer, Avalon
Pharmaceuticals, +1-301-556-9900, or fax +1-301-556-9910, Email: ;
or Media, Wendy Lau, Russo Partners, LLC, +1-212- 845-4272; or
Investors, Chad Rubin, The Trout Group,LLC, +1-646-378-2947, both
for Avalon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Web site: http://www.avalonrx.com/
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