Value Proposition:
· Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) treatment that offers reduced side effects due to its mechanism of action (MoA)
· HDAC4 inhibition prevents the upregulation of stress survival pathways, which in turn may prevent metastases in mCRPC
· Similar anti-cancer agents must be dosed at lower concentrations due to the harsh side effects, which may not kill all tumors and may allow for metastases
· With reduced side effects, this drug can be safely dosed at higher levels, resulting in increased anti-tumor efficacy
Technology Description
· Researchers at Johns Hopkins have developed a Tasquinimod-like therapeutic for mCRPC that allows for higher dosing and serum levels of cancer-treating agent, but without the side effects associated with Tasquinimod
· This drug candidate downregulates HDAC4, which is likely to epigenetically prevent the upregulation of the stress survival pathways needed for tumor angiogenesis that supports metastases
· The data demonstrates that in a rodent xenograft model for castration-resistant prostate cancer, this treatment maintains HDAC4 inhibition with reduced side effects, allowing for higher daily drug dosing and increased anti-tumor efficacy
Unmet Need
· Prostate cancer, globally, is the second leading cause of new cancer cases diagnosed in men, with approximately 50% leading to metastatic prostate cancer.
· Current treatments include chemotherapy, hormone therapy, radiation therapy, and immunotherapies, though each has its own array of side effects and efficacy challenges.
· Side effects can force doctors to give less than optimal therapeutic doses of these drugs to patients, which results in less than optimal tumor reduction.
· Therefore, there is a strong need for prostate cancer drugs to be developed with fewer off-target effects and higher anti-tumor efficacy.
Stage of Development
· Studies have been completed in animals to demonstrate efficacy and MoA
Data Availability
· Data available upon request
Publication
N/A
