GLFD Guilford Pharmaceuticals (MM)

Guilford Pharmaceuticals Presents New NAALADase Inhibitor Data in Chemotherapy-Induced Neuropathy at ASCO BALTIMORE, May 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Guilford Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:GLFD) today announced that new data from its NAALADase inhibitor program were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, the premier scientific event for oncology professionals. The preclinical results suggest that the Company's proprietary NAALADase inhibitors may have utility in preventing and reversing chemotherapy-induced neuropathy in animal models. "Exploring chemotherapy-induced neuropathy is a novel focus of research for our NAALADase program, and presents an exciting opportunity for continued investigation," commented Barbara Slusher, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Research. "Guilford scientists and our academic collaborators have previously demonstrated in multiple animal models that NAALADase inhibition can prevent and reverse neuropathic pain and diabetic peripheral neuropathy. To our knowledge, the data we presented at ASCO are the first to show evidence that enzymatic inhibition of NAALADase can ameliorate chemotherapy-induced neuropathy, a severe dose-limiting toxicity associated with chemotherapy treatment, and believed to affect more than 1.2 million Americans with cancer each year. Currently, there are no drugs available that can treat this condition." In the study, mice received cumulative doses of either 25 mg/kg taxol (five 5 mg/kg doses in two weeks) or 100 mg/kg taxol (four 25 mg/kg doses in two weeks) in addition to orally administered daily doses of a potent and selective NAALADase inhibitor (2-MPPA) or placebo. Chemotherapy-induced neuropathy was assessed by measuring sensory nerve conduction velocity (SNCV) prior to and following treatment. The results demonstrated that 2-MPPA significantly prevented the deficit in sensory nerve conduction velocity induced by both the 5 and 25 mg/kg taxol regimen by 96% and 98%, respectively, (p