PharmAust (ASX:PAA), a clinical stage oncology company engaged in a current collaboration with the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute (ONJCRI), has announced the demonstration of anti-cancer activity for . monepantel manufactured according to its recently developed aminoacetonitrile GMP production method with Syngene.
Researchers at the ONJCRI tested monepantel manufactured to this method on human cancer cell lines and non-cancer cell lines.
According to the company, cancer cell lines showed the expected sensitivity to treatment with the PharmAust monepantel, while non-cancer cells were relatively unaffected.
Cancer cell lines tested included models of cancers PharmAust is studying for targeting in Phase 2 trials in humans.
Pharmaust said it now plans to use this monepantel in further preclinical work.
PharmAust CSO, Dr Richard Mollard, said, “Recapitulating the anti-cancer effect of monepantel manufactured according to the PharmAust method in vitro is an important outcome.
"The selective targeting of the new drug to tumour cells and lack of toxicity to normal cells supports PharmAust’s product development strategy.
"The PharmAust method does not appear to change the properties of monepantel and therefore is not predicted to change the anticancer properties of PharmAust’s monepantel analogues too. Future work will formally test this assertion and PharmAust is now in a strong position to advance its preclinical and drug-development pipeline as needed.”