CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Tau Therapeutics LLC announced today that its academic collaborator, University of Virginia Professor Todd Bauer, MD, presented data at the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the premier cancer research event held in San Diego, California from April 5-9. His poster, entitled “Combination therapy with a MEK inhibitor plus T-type calcium channel inhibitor is highly effective in patient-derived pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas,” concludes that combination therapy with the MEK inhibitor trametinib plus Tau’s T-type calcium channel inhibitor mibefradil results in significant growth inhibition of KRAS-mutant patient-derived pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma orthotopic xenograft tumors in mice, including both treatment naïve tumors and tumors chronically exposed to prior trametinib and lapatinib.
“We are pleased to have Dr. Bauer explore an innovative use of T-type calcium channel inhibitors in the treatment of pancreatic cancer, an indication for which we hold orphan drug status,” said Andrew Krouse, Tau’s President and CEO. “We are intrigued by the ability of T-type calcium channel blockers to overcome resistance to targeted therapies when administered in combination with them.”
Tau already focuses on overcoming resistance to cancer therapies with its patent-pending Interlaced Therapy™, the sequential administration of a T-type calcium channel blocker prior to each course of a standard-of-care cytotoxin, which has been shown in vivo to both overcome drug resistance and increase efficacy.
About Tau Therapeutics
Tau Therapeutics is a clinical stage, private biotechnology company ushering in a new class of oncology drugs for solid tumors. From its drug discovery platform, Tau is developing new chemical entities that control the cell cycle by selectively inhibiting the T-type calcium channel – Cav3. Tau’s proprietary knowledge of Cav3 and its ability to develop tailored T-type calcium channel blockers offer a non-toxic and potentially indispensable addition to emerging chemotherapy cocktails.
Tau is conducting a multi-site NCI Adult Brain Tumor Consortium-sponsored Phase 1b clinical trial of the T-type calcium channel blocker mibefradil in brain cancer.
Forward-Looking Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, and includes statements that are not historical facts. Actual results could differ significantly from results discussed. Tau Therapeutics LLC disclaims any intent or obligation to update forward-looking statements, except as required by law.
