AVN944 Biomarkers Correlate with Clinical Effects and Disease Stabilization in Adult AML Patients
December 08 2007 - 4:30PM
Business Wire
Avalon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:AVRX), today announced
preliminary results from its ongoing AVN944 Phase I trial in adult
Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) patients at the American Society
of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting. The research shows that AVN944
is well tolerated in refractory AML patients, with drug exposure
increasing with higher dose levels. AVN944 biomarkers show a
dose-dependent increase in activity including: binding to the
target enzyme IMPDH, depletion of GTP pools in blast cells, and
gene expression markers correlating to cell cycle blocks, GTP level
and apoptosis, illustrating that biomarkers can be used to monitor
exposure in patients as dose levels increase. Utilizing the
AvalonRx� platform, a predictive algorithm was developed and the
preliminary data discriminates AVN944�s effect on patients with
regard to disease stabilization or progression. This biomarker
based patient stratification strategy could provide a valuable tool
for enrichment of patients more likely to benefit from AVN944
therapy in future studies. �Reducing the risk of clinical trials
failures has been a very elusive goal in the development of cancer
therapeutics,� stated Rebecca B. Klisovic, M.D., Assistant
Professor of Hematology and Oncology at The Ohio State University.
�These preliminary results are very exciting and Avalon�s
comprehensive biomarker driven approach, if confirmed in a larger
study, would go a long way toward achieving this goal.� About
Avalon Pharmaceuticals Avalon is a biopharmaceutical company
focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of
first-in-class cancer therapeutics. Avalon�s lead product
candidate, AVN944,�an IMPDH inhibitor, is in Phase II clinical
development. Avalon also has preclinical programs to develop
inhibitors of the Beta-catenin and Aurora/Centrosome
pathways,�discovery programs�for�inhibitors of�the Survivin�and
Myc�pathways and partnerships with Merck, MedImmune, ChemDiv,
Medarex, and Novartis. AvalonRx� is the company�s proprietary
platform�which is based on�large-scale�biomarker identification and
monitoring, used to discover and develop therapeutics for pathways
that have historically been characterized as "undruggable." Avalon
is headquartered in Germantown, MD. Safe Harbor Statement This
announcement contains, in addition to historical information,
certain forward-looking statements that involve risks and
uncertainties. Such statements reflect the current views of Avalon
management and are based on certain assumptions. Actual results
could differ materially from those currently anticipated as a
result of a number of factors, risks and uncertainties, including
those specified under the �Risk Factors� section of our 2006 Annual
Report on Form 10-K and updates contained in subsequent filings we
make with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Avalon (NASDAQ:AVRX)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jun 2024 to Jul 2024
Avalon (NASDAQ:AVRX)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jul 2023 to Jul 2024
Real-Time news about Avalon Pharmaceuticals (MM) (NASDAQ): 0 recent articles
More Avalon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. News Articles