New mode of action found for Myriad's Azixa

USA-based Myriad Genetics presented data that characterize the mode of action of its investigational new drug, Azixa (MPC-6827), as a vascular disrupting agent, at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, held in Los Angeles, California.

The agent has been previously shown to be an inducer of apoptosis, and a potent inhibitor of human tumor cell growth and survival in cell culture, regardless of the multiple drug resistance stature of the tumors. In recent studies, Azixa induced cell death in several primary types of endothelium, including micro-vessel endothelial cells. Moreover, in human ovarian cancer xenografts, a single dose of Azixa induced dramatic tumor blood vessel damage and tumor cell death within 24 hours.

Myriad president Adrian Hobden said that Azixa's dual mode of action and its ability to cross the blood-brain barrier may allow it to be a more effective chemotherapeutic than anything available to treat brain cancer today. The agent is currently being evaluated in two Phase II clinical trials, one in patients with primary brain cancer and the other in melanoma that has spread to the brain.