Advanced Cancer Therapeutics Funds Brown Cancer Center Research Scientist to Accelerate Identification of Clinical Candidates

LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Advanced Cancer Therapeutics (ACT), a for-profit private company dedicated to bringing new anti-cancer therapies to market, today announced that it has signed an agreement to leverage the computational chemistry expertise of Dr. John Trent, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine at the University of Louisville’s James Graham Brown Cancer Center (Brown Cancer Center), to accelerate the identification of new clinical candidates for the prevention and treatment of cancer.

“ACT is pleased to be working with Dr. Trent as we collaborate to accelerate the discovery process to develop potentially lifesaving therapeutics for cancer patients”

As part of this agreement, over the next twelve months Dr. Trent will provide contract work for ACT and interface with ACT’s medicinal chemists to identify the best preclinical candidates for ACT’s top two small molecule compound programs addressing two novel cancer targets in the area of cancer metabolism. These programs include 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-biphosphatase 3 (PFKFB3) and Choline Kinase (CK). ACT obtained worldwide exclusive licenses from the Brown Cancer Center to the PFKFB program in 2008 and for the CK program in 2009.

To date, ACT has rationally designed and synthesized over 200 novel small molecule compounds against both PFKFB and CK targets. The company has been able to identify several potential preclinical candidates with desired selectivity and potency parameters and other attractive attributes, bringing them closer to initiating toxicology studies that would support an investigational new drug (IND) application. Establishing this collaboration with Dr. Trent will allow the company to integrate computational chemistry into ACT’s medicinal chemistry activities and should enable ACT to select the best preclinical candidate for both the PFKFB and CK program, as well as prioritize related backup compounds.

“ACT is pleased to be working with Dr. Trent as we collaborate to accelerate the discovery process to develop potentially lifesaving therapeutics for cancer patients,” said Randall Riggs, President & CEO of ACT. “His computational chemistry efforts will complement our current medicinal chemistry efforts which look at the crystal structure of each target to help ACT rationally design and rapidly identify the best anti-cancer products.”

About Advanced Cancer Therapeutics (ACT):

ACT is a for-profit private company dedicated to advancing novel therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of cancer. ACT has successfully established a unique and innovative business model with the University of Louisville’s James Graham Brown Cancer Center (Brown Cancer Center) whereby ACT is able to obtain exclusive worldwide licenses to novel cancer therapeutics discovered at Brown Cancer Center under preset business terms. ACT then fast-tracks these discoveries, including the selection process for partnership, commercialization and manufacture, to the pharmaceutical industry, and ultimately to the patients who need them. Led by Dr. Don Miller, the Brown Cancer Center employs over forty scientists focused on the discovery and advancement of breakthrough cancer therapeutics for patients suffering from cancer. For more information, please visit www.advancedcancertherapeutics.com.

About James Graham Brown Cancer Center:

The James Graham Brown Cancer Center is a key component of the University of Louisville's Health Sciences Center and UofL Health Care. As the region's leading academic, research, and teaching medical center, our patients benefit from the latest medical advances, often long before they become available in non-teaching settings. The Brown Cancer Center is affiliated with the Kentucky Cancer Program and the National Cancer Institute. It is the only cancer center in the region to use a unified approach to cancer care, with multidisciplinary teams of physicians working together to guide patients through diagnosis, treatment and recovery. For more information, visit our website www.browncancercenter.org.