Euclises Pharmaceuticals To Present Preclinical Efficacy Results At AACR

ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Euclises Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing next-generation therapies that prevent tumor immune evasion and kill cancer by disrupting the tumor microenvironment, is pleased to announce that its abstract has been accepted for presentation at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., on April 3, 2017.

“In this preclinical study, we demonstrated dramatic synergies in tumor suppression from combining a checkpoint inhibitor with our third-generation COX-2 inhibitor. We believe that this combination can potentially expand the types of cancer susceptible to checkpoint inhibition and increase the number of responders.”

Entitled, “Combination of ECP1014 and anti-PD-L1 reduces tumor growth in the CT26 murine colon carcinoma model of a cold tumor,” the presentation will report the results of key preclinical experiments using Euclises’ COX-2 inhibitor candidate, ECP1014. The study, conducted in collaboration with MI Bioresearch, demonstrates the synergistic effect of the combination of ECP1014 with a checkpoint inhibitor and its impact on the microenvironment of the tumor.

“Immunotherapy is establishing itself as treatment for many cancers, but we need to improve on the depth of response and breadth of cancers responding to checkpoint inhibition,” said Bobby W. Sandage, Jr., Ph.D., CEO of Euclises. “In this preclinical study, we demonstrated dramatic synergies in tumor suppression from combining a checkpoint inhibitor with our third-generation COX-2 inhibitor. We believe that this combination can potentially expand the types of cancer susceptible to checkpoint inhibition and increase the number of responders.”

“The research to be presented at AACR begins to validate the hypothesis that ECP1014 can turn a cold tumor hot by changing the microenvironment of the tumor and thereby unleashing the immune system to be responsive to checkpoint inhibition,” added Rick Ryan, Ph.D., chairman of Euclises’ board.

Dr. Sandage will present the results on Monday afternoon, April 3, in the Checkpoints 2: Small Molecule Inhibitors Session, Poster Section 25.

About Euclises:

Euclises Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is a drug discovery and development company focused on novel third-generation cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors for use in the treatment of cancer. These drugs are designed to work in combination with certain other oncology drugs, in particular checkpoint inhibitors (CIs), by preventing the COX-2 pathway from inhibiting the anti-cancer activity of natural immune cells.

COX-2-produced PGE-2 inhibits cytotoxic T-cell function in the tumor microenvironment. Euclises’ lead candidate inhibits COX-2, blocks PGE-2 production and thereby synergizes with CIs, which depend on the activity of the patient’s own immune system to work at peak performance. In preclinical studies, Euclises’ drug candidate has demonstrated the ability to enhance the efficacy of CIs in boosting immune control of tumors. In addition, in a number of tumor types, PGE-2 drives cancer cell proliferation, and Euclises’ lead candidate has been shown non-clinically to be effective in inhibiting tumor growth alone and in combination with other targeted therapies.

Euclises has selected a clinical development candidate and is currently conducting studies in preparation for human clinical trials with the goal of submitting an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to the FDA in the first half of 2017. For more information, visit the Euclises website at www.euclises.com.

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