REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical-stage company developing novel therapeutics that target cancer stem cells (CSCs), or tumor-initiating cells, today announced an oral presentation and five posters that will highlight the progress of OncoMed’s pipeline of anti-cancer biologics at the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research in Washington D.C., April 7 – 9, 2013.
Oral Presentation, Sunday, April 7, 1:30 – 1:55 pm ET, Room 207, Washington Convention Center
As part of the “New Drugs on the Horizon” Special Session, Timothy Hoey, PhD, OncoMed’s Senior Vice President of Cancer Biology, will discuss, “Development of FZD8-Fc (OMP-54F28), a Wnt signaling antagonist that inhibits tumor growth and reduces tumor initiating cell frequency.”
Poster #218, Sunday, April 7, 1 – 5 pm ET, Hall A-C, Poster Section 13
“R-Spondin (RSPO) signaling drives the growth of multiple human tumor types” will be presented by Austin Gurney, PhD, Senior Vice President of Molecular and Cellular Biology at OncoMed, in the Tumor Biology 2 Poster Session.
Poster #3725, Tuesday, April 9, 1 – 5 pm ET, Hall A-C, Poster Section 12
“Anti-DLL4 (demcizumab) Inhibits tumor growth and reduces cancer stem cell frequency in patient-derived ovarian cancer xenografts” will be presented by Wan-Ching Yen, PhD, Senior Scientist at OncoMed, in the Tumor Biology 35 Poster Session.
Poster #213, Sunday, April 7, 1- 5 pm ET, Hall A-C, Poster Section 13
“Novel NOTCH3 activating mutations identified in tumors sensitive to OMP-59R5, a monoclonal antibody targeting the Notch2 and Notch3 receptors” will be presented by Breanna Wallace, PhD, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at OncoMed, in the Cancer Stem Targeting Therapies Poster Session.
Poster # 3728, Tuesday, April 9, 1 – 5 pm ET, Hall A-C, Poster Section 12
“Anti-Notch1 antibody (OMP-52M51) impedes tumor growth and cancer stem cell frequency (CSC) in a chemo-refractory breast cancer xenograft model with an activating Notch1 mutation and screening for activated Notch1 across multiple solid tumor types” will be presented by Belinda Cancilla, PhD, Associate Director of Translational Medicine at OncoMed, in the Tumor Biology 35 Poster Session.
Poster #4330, April 9, 1 – 5 pm ET, Hall A-C, Poster Section 36
“In vivo evaluation of anti-tumor activity by an anti-VEGF and anti-DLL4 bispecific antibody in a humanized skin graft model” will be presented by Ann Kapoun, PhD, OncoMed’s Vice President of Translational Medicine, in the Experimental and Molecular Therapeutics 28 Poster Session.
About Cancer Stem Cells
Cancer stem cells, or CSCs, are the subpopulation of cells in a tumor responsible for driving growth and metastasis of the tumor. CSCs, also known as tumor-initiating cells, exhibit certain properties which include the capacity to divide and give rise to new CSCs via a process called self-renewal and the capacity to differentiate or change into the other cells that form the bulk of the tumor. Common cancer drugs target bulk tumor cells but have limited impact on CSCs, thereby providing a path for recurrence of the tumor. OncoMed’s product candidates target CSCs by blocking self-renewal and driving differentiation of CSCs toward a non-tumorigenic state, and also impact bulk tumor cells. OncoMed believes its product candidates are distinct from the current generations of chemotherapies and targeted therapies, and have the potential to significantly impact cancer treatment and the clinical outcome of patients with cancer.
About OncoMed Pharmaceuticals
OncoMed Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage company that discovers and develops novel therapeutics targeting cancer stem cells, the cells shown to be capable of driving tumor growth, recurrence and metastasis. OncoMed has advanced five anti-cancer therapeutics into the clinic, including demcizumab (OMP-21M18, Anti-DLL4), OMP-59R5 (Anti-Notch2/3), OMP-52M51 (Anti-Notch1), vantictumab (OMP-18R5, Anti-Fzd7), and OMP-54F28 (Fzd8-Fc), which target key cancer stem cell signaling pathways including Notch and Wnt. In addition, OncoMed’s pipeline includes several novel preclinical product candidates targeting multiple validated cancer stem cell pathways, including the RSPO-LGR pathway, as well as a novel bispecific antibody that targets both the DLL4 ligand in the Notch pathway and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). OncoMed has formed strategic alliances with Bayer Pharma AG and GlaxoSmithKline. Privately held, OncoMed’s investors include: US Venture Partners, Latterell Venture Partners, The Vertical Group, Morgenthaler Ventures, Phase4Ventures, Delphi Ventures, Adams Street Partners, De Novo Ventures, Bay Partners and GlaxoSmithKline. Additional information can be found at the company’s website: www.oncomed.com.