Avalon to present Ph I data on AVN944

The USA's Avalon Pharmaceuticals will present new pharmacodymanic endpoint data from a Phase I study of AVN944, its lead product candidate for the treatment of hematologic malignancies, at the American Society of Hematology's 48th annual meeting, to be held in Orlando, Florida.

In addition to the Phase I objective of defining the maximum tolerated dose of AVN944, Avalon is examining a comprehensive set of pharmacodynamic biomarkers using its proprietary gene expression platform, AvalonRx. These markers, previously identified as responsive to the agent in a multitude of laboratory settings, correlate with biochemical effects of the drug on protein function and guanine nucleotide levels, and can be used as tools to select the optimal dose with which to initiate Phase II studies, Avalon stated. This interim analysis of the trial data is intended to describe how these biomarkers correlate with biologic activity of the drug in patients.