Propanc Biopharma’s Joint Research Partner Pushing Boundaries to Circumvent Chemotherapy Resistance Using PRP

MELBOURNE, Australia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Propanc Biopharma, Inc. (OTC Pink: PPCB) (“Propanc” or the “Company”), a biopharmaceutical company developing novel cancer treatments for patients suffering from recurring and metastatic cancer, today announced that the Company’s joint researcher, Mrs. Belén Toledo Cutillas, has commenced an internship at the Cancer Center Amsterdam – vUMC (University Medical Centers). In addition to Propanc Biopharma providing the financial resources to develop PRP, funding from two international grants has enabled Mrs. Toledo to join the Molecular Oncology Laboratory at the Cancer Center Amsterdam. Research by this team of scientists, led by Professor Elisa Giovanetti, focuses on chemotherapy resistance in pancreatic cancer.

“Chemotherapy is still considered an irreplaceable front-line therapeutic strategy to treat cancer. But multidrug resistance represents a common hurdle that profoundly compromises clinical outcomes, especially in pancreatic cancer. It is key to identify new drugs that could reduce chemoresistance and thus combat tumors with existing treatments,” said Mrs. Toledo. The preclinical research undertaken by Mrs. Toledo at the Cancer Center Amsterdam focuses on the effects of pancreatic proenzyme formulation (PRP) on a panel of chemoresistant cancer cell lines that had previously been established in Professor Giovanetti’s lab.

“We wanted to evaluate the effect of PRP in the widest range of pancreatic cancer cell lines to gain a better idea how this treatment may affect actual tumors,” said Mrs. Toledo. “So far, we have obtained very promising results. PRP seems not only to reduce chemoresistance of pancreatic tumor cells, but also appears to alter the tumor microenvironment.”

Dr Julian Kenyon, MD, MB, ChB, Propanc’s Chief Scientific Officer said, “We are pleased to continue to drive success through our joint research partners, and Belén’s investigation into the effects of PRP as a chemosensitizing agent has significant implications for the planned clinical development of PRP as a novel therapy for the treatment and prevention of metastatic cancer. Tumor resistance to frontline chemotherapy means a poor prognosis for survival, especially in pancreatic cancer. We look forward to investigating the clinical effects of PRP in patients as we progress with future planned clinical trials, where an opportunity for a combinatorial therapeutic strategy may be uncovered to treat resistant tumors.”

PRP is a mixture of two proenzymes, trypsinogen and chymotrypsinogen from bovine pancreas, administered by intravenous injection. A synergistic ratio of 1:6 inhibits growth of most tumor cells. Examples include pancreatic, ovarian, kidney, breast, brain, prostate, colorectal, lung, liver, uterine, and skin cancers. Orphan Drug Designation status of PRP has been granted from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of pancreatic cancer.

For a full transcript of the interview with Mrs. Belén Toledo Cutillas, please click the following link: https://www.amsterdamumc.org/en/research/news/pushing-boundaries-to-circumvent-chemotherapy-resistance.htm

About Propanc Biopharma, Inc.

Propanc Biopharma, Inc. (the “Company”) is developing a novel approach to prevent recurrence and metastasis of solid tumors by using pancreatic proenzymes that target and eradicate cancer stem cells in patients suffering from pancreatic, ovarian, and colorectal cancers. For more information, please visit www.propanc.com.

The Company’s novel proenzyme therapy is based on the science that enzymes stimulate biological reactions in the body, especially enzymes secreted by the pancreas. These pancreatic enzymes could represent the body’s primary defense against cancer.

To view the Company’s “Mechanism of Action” video on its anti-cancer lead product candidate, PRP, please click on the following link: http://www.propanc.com/news-media/video.

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