MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--StemSynergy Therapeutics, Inc. announces advances in drug development for treatment of colorectal cancer, the third most common cancer diagnosed in the US. Mutations in a cell communication process called the “Wnt pathway” are responsible for over 90% of all colorectal cancers. A major hurdle in developing drugs that block the Wnt pathway has been that they exhibit significant gastrointestinal toxicity.
In the June 27 issue of Science Signaling, a group of scientists working with StemSynergy showed that a novel class of WNT inhibitors, CK1alpha agonists, blocked colorectal cancer growth with minimal gastrointestinal toxicity. The investigators showed that colorectal cancer cells have low levels of the drug target, CK1alpha, which is a negative regulator of the WNT pathway. This makes cancer cells susceptible to activation of this enzyme by the drug. Since normal intestinal cells have much higher levels of CK1alpha, they are insensitive to the drug. Therefore, in preclinical studies, the StemSynergy drug exhibits profound efficacy without the associated toxicity.
“We are extremely pleased with the results of this study,” said Dr. Darren Orton, Director of Medicinal Chemistry at StemSynergy. “Much of the preclinical studies on the compound have already been performed. Our goal is to start phase I clinical trials of SSTC3 within a year.”
About StemSynergy Therapeutics, Inc.
StemSynergy is a privately held biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery and development of drugs targeting developmental pathways fundamental to cancer. For more information, visit stemsynergy.com or by email at info@stemsynergy.com.
