CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Eutropics, Inc , (Cambridge, MA) and Tolero Pharmaceuticals, Inc, (Lehi, UT) announced today a strategic alliance to utilize Eutropics’ companion diagnostic approach to assist in the development of Tolero’s experimental therapeutics for hematological malignancies. Under the terms of the agreement, Eutropics’ proprietary biomarker platform, Praedicare-Dx , will be used to support the development of Tolero’s therapeutic portfolio, particularly Tolero’s Phase III ready asset, alvocidib. Alvocidib is an experimental therapeutic that has demonstrated clinical activity in patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Patient stratification using Eutropics’ companion diagnostics approach will be explored as a way to improve patient care by matching specific therapies to the specific individuals most likely to benefit.
“This partnership with Eutropics is an important component of Tolero’s efforts to bring forward a new therapy for the treatment of AML, CLL and other malignacies”, said Dr. David J. Bearss, CEO of Tolero. “Preliminary results in CLL patient studies have shown that the Praedicare-Dx test is predictive of patient response to alvocidib. The ability of Praedicare-Dx to predict outcomes in patients, combined with alvocidib’s potential for clinical benefit, holds the promise of improved treatment outcomes. We are excited to collaborate with Eutropics and believe that identifying patients most likely to respond to alvocidib will benefit patients suffering from leukemia and expand available therapeutic options.”
Dr. Michael Cardone, CEO of Eutropics added: “We are happy to be working with Tolero to help them develop new drug treatments for blood cancer. We have reason to believe that our companion diagnostic strategies will facilitate advancement of their promising agent alvocidib and positively affect patient treatment decisions and outcomes.”
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
About Tolero
Tolero is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of novel therapeutics to treat and cure cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Tolero is developing alvocidib, which has shown significant clinical activity in a recently completed positive randomized phase II clinical trial in patients with acute myeloid leukemia. Alvocidib is a small molecule inhibitor of the cyclin-dependent kinases that has demonstrated activity in clinical trials in several malignancies, including CLL and AML. Tolero has also utilized its innovative drug development approach to create a diverse portfolio of candidate agents, both early and late stage, targeting multiple cancer-associated cellular pathways. Tolero Pharmaceuticals is a privately held company headquartered near Salt Lake City, Utah. For additional information, please visit the company’s website at www.toleropharma.com.
About Eutropics
Eutropics is addressing the need for improving the treatment of aggressive forms of leukemia, myeloma, lymphoma, and other cancers. The company is developing a novel diagnostic technology that will guide the use of established and experimental therapeutics, enabling the delivery of personalized medicines to patients suffering from cancer. Eutropics’ PraediCare Dx platform technology delivers medically useful in vitro diagnostic assays. The tests may improve patient outcome by directing the best treatment options and also may provide a biomarker for guided cancer drug development. Based on clinical evidence, the PraediCare Dx technology platform delivers unique understanding into a cancer cell’s ability to respond to chemotherapies that induce programmed cell death (apoptosis), enabling the physician to choose the treatment option most likely to benefit the individual patient. Tests based on the PraediCare Dx technology are being investigated for use in treating AML, CLL and multiple myeloma (MM).