For immediate release |
5 March 2018 |
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Evgen Pharma plc
("Evgen Pharma" or "the Company")
Update on novel sulforaphane analogues
Evgen Pharma (AIM: EVG), a clinical stage drug development company focused on the treatment of cancer and neurological conditions, is pleased to announce an update on the screening at the University of Liverpool of the Company's novel analogues of sulforaphane.
Evgen Pharma acquired exclusive worldwide rights to the analogues from the University of Seville in 2015 as part of the Company's strategy to secure a leading position in the intellectual property around sulforaphane-based drugs.
Researchers at the University of Liverpool evaluated 41 analogues, which represent new chemical entities based on sulforaphane's core structure. The analogues were assessed for their cytotoxic potential against a breast cancer cell line and for their ability to activate Nrf2, which is considered to have a key role in sulforaphane's mechanism of action against neurological conditions.
The activity of the analogues was compared with SFX-01, the Company's lead product which is currently in two Phase II clinical studies in breast cancer and in subarachnoid haemorrhage.
The headline findings from the research work are that 21 of the analogues are at least twice as cytotoxic against (that is, able to eliminate) breast cancer cells as SFX-01, with the most potent being eight-fold more cytotoxic, and that none of the analogues are as potent as SFX-01 as an activator of Nrf2.
The results suggest that some of the analogues merit further study as anti-cancer agents and they also provide reassurance that SFX-01, as a synthesised and stabilised copy of naturally occurring sulforaphane, is the optimal sulforaphane-based active for development in subarachnoid haemorrhage and potentially other neurological indications.
Whilst the Company is focused on progressing its core clinical programmes of SFX-01, it will explore all options to further evaluate the analogues, especially with regard to their capacity specifically to target cancer stem cells in breast cancer and other solid tumours. Ultimately, some of the analogues could represent follow-on pipeline products to SFX-01.
Steve Franklin, CEO of Evgen Pharma, said:
"We would like to thank Dr Noureddine Khiar and Dr Ian Copple of the University of Seville and the University of Liverpool respectively for their constructive and enthusiastic collaboration on this programme. Evgen Pharma remains focused on the clinical development of SFX-01, but we are also committed to further understanding the therapeutic potential of these novel sulforaphane analogues, although recognise that in the near term this will most likely be through collaborations that can lever non-dilutive grant funding."
Enquiries:
Evgen Pharma plc Dr Stephen Franklin, CEO Richard Moulson, CFO www.evgen.com |
c/o +44 (0) 20 7466 5000 |
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Buchanan Mark Court, Sophie Wills, Stephanie Watson |
+44 (0) 20 7466 5000 |
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Northland Capital Partners Limited Matthew Johnson, Gerry Beaney (Corporate Finance) John Howes, Rob Rees (Corporate Broking) |
+44 (0) 20 3861 6625 |
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Notes for editors:
About Evgen Pharma plc
Evgen Pharma is a clinical stage drug development company whose lead programmes are in breast cancer and subarachnoid haemorrhage, a type of stroke. The Company's core technology is Sulforadex®, a method for synthesising and stabilising the naturally occurring compound sulforaphane and novel proprietary analogues based on sulforaphane. The lead product, SFX-01, is a patented composition of synthetic sulforaphane and alpha-cyclodextrin.
Evgen Pharma commenced operations in January 2008 and has its headquarters at The Colony, Wilmslow, Cheshire, and its registered office is at the Liverpool Science Park, Liverpool. It joined the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange in October 2015 and trades under the ticker symbol EVG.
For further information, please visit: www.evgen.com
For commissioned research on the Company, please visit: http://evgen.com/investors/analyst-coverage/
