Musella Foundation, Cancer Commons, xCures and Oncoceutics announced the initiation of a collaboration to develop ONC201 as a new treatment for diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) and other H3 K27M-mutant gliomas.
Critical to the collaboration is $1M in funding from The Musella Foundation, Michael Mosier Defeat DIPG Foundation and The Cure Starts Now Foundation. Cancer Commons and xCures will contribute additional resources to the success of the collaboration. “The Musella Foundation, Michael Mosier Defeat DIPG Foundation and The Cures Starts Now Foundation are excited to partner with Oncoceutics to translate a new molecularly-targeted therapeutic concept,” said Al Musella, DPM, President and Founder of the Musella Foundation.
Due to the tumor location within the midline region of the brain, as well as patients with a specific mutation called H3 K27M, patients often have significant neurological symptoms from their disease. There are no proven therapeutic options other than palliative radiotherapy. However, emerging clinical results have shown that some patients with H3 K27M-mutant glioma treated with single agent ONC201 have had their tumor stabilize or shrink and have had improvements in neurological symptoms, such as paralyses of peripheral and cranial nerves.
According to Marty Tenenbaum, Founder and Chairman of xCures, “It is increasingly difficult to design clinical development programs for rare and serious diseases, in particular when a satisfactory standard of therapy does not exist. All too often the required accrual activity is not achieved and companies are unable to deliver promising drugs to the market. We are committed to use our networks and insights into the needs of these patients to accommodate their participation in well controlled and carefully conducted clinical programs. We are choosing drug development programs that we support carefully. We are pleased to be able to help advance a program for ONC201 that has the support of many distinguished institutions and carries the hope to potentially change current medical practice for brain cancers.”
According to Wolfgang Oster, Founder and CEO of Oncoceutics, “We are extremely excited about our recently awarded NCI Bridge Grant and the expansion of our clinical trial program. We look forward to the collaboration with xCures and the other organizations to help run clinical programs in rare diseases more efficiently while contributing to our knowledge base about ONC201.”
About xCures
xCures is developing an AI-based methodology and platform to run ‘Virtual Trials’, which continuously learn from the clinical experiences of all patients, on all treatments, all the time. Each patient’s treatment regimen is adaptively planned by a ‘Virtual Tumor Board’ to optimize their individual outcome, and these plans are coordinated across the whole patient population to maximize collective learning. Visit xcures.com for more information.
About The Musella Foundation
The Musella Foundation For Brain Tumor Research & Information, Inc is a 501(C)3 nonprofit public charity dedicated to helping brain tumor patients through emotional and financial support, education, advocacy and raising money for brain tumor research. Visit virtualtrials.com for more information.
About Cancer Commons
Cancer Commons is a nonprofit collaborative of patients, physicians, and scientists, dedicated to improving patient outcomes by tightly coupling clinical research and care. We arm patients and their physicians with the knowledge they need to achieve the best possible outcomes, help them access the relevant treatments and trials, and track their results to continuously learn. Visit cancercommons.org for more information.
About Michael Mosier Defeat DIPG Foundation
Michael Mosier Defeat DIPG Foundation is committed to finding a cure for brainstem tumors known as diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (DIPG). Nearly every day one child in the United States is diagnosed with DIPG and another child dies from it. The Foundation seeks to make a difference and defeat DIPG both by raising awareness of DIPG and by providing funding for research into effective treatments for DIPG. Visit defeatdipg.org for more information.
About The Cure Starts Now Foundation
The Cure Starts Now Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with international chapters in nearly 40 locations around the world. It is has funded universal cancer cure strategies starting with cancers such as DIPG and organizes the biennial International DIPG Symposium showcasing innovative research methods. You can learn more at www.thecurestartsnow.org.
About Oncoceutics
Oncoceutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage drug discovery and development company with a novel class of compounds that selectively target G protein-coupled receptors for oncology. The first lead compound to result from this program is ONC201, an orally active DRD2 small molecule antagonist that is well-tolerated and effective against advanced cancers. The company completed a successful Phase I study in solid tumors and has underway a number of Phase I/II and Phase II clinical programs in both solid and hematological malignancies. Oncoceutics and collaborative groups have received more than $7 million in grants over the last two years, including grants from the National Cancer Institute, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and The Musella Foundation. In addition, outside interest in the company’s portfolio has resulted in several R&D alliance agreements between Oncoceutics and leading comprehensive cancer centers, including The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Fox Chase Cancer Center. The company has established a robust intellectual property position, including several issued patents. Visit oncoceutics.com for more information.
