Los Angeles Cancer Centers to Begin Trial of NB1011 for Colon Cancer

NewBiotics announced start of a phase I/II clinical trial of NB1011, a drug which targets the enzyme thymidylate synthase (TS), for treatment of patients with colon cancer.

NB1011 appears harmless as it enters a diseased cell but is converted into a deadly toxin by the target enzyme. Preclinical studies in animals have shown that NB1011 has activity against both drug-resistant and non-resistant tumors derived from human colon and breast cancer with no detectable toxicity, reports NewBiotics.

The trials will be conducted at the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Southern California Cancer Centers.

"We need more and better treatment options and NewBiotics' NB1011 is one of the most promising drug candidates to enter the clinic I've seen," said Dr. Mark Pegram of UCLA.

"We're very pleased with the progress on NB1011, a compound that has taken only three years to move from proof-of-concept research to clinical trials," said Thomas Mizelle, NewBiotics' CEO. "In addition to colon cancer patients, we believe NB1011 may help patients with a range of cancers that are characterized by high levels of thymidylate synthase production, including breast, pancreatic and head and neck."

Other Sources: NewBiotics