Qrono Announces Positive Preclinical Proof-Of-Concept Results Of Novel Targeted Loco-Regional Oncology Delivery Platform (QARRUS™)
PITTSBURGH, PA (PRWEB) July 28, 2016 -- Qrono Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on long-acting injectables (LAIs), today announced positive preclinical in vitro and in vivo proof-of-concept study results for its QARRUS™ platform. QARRUS™ is a novel microparticle-hydrogel platform that targets chemotherapy to tumors, cancer stem cells (CSCs) and their supporting tumor associated macrophages (TAMs), and myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). QARRUS’ mathematically-optimized microparticles sustain six weeks or more of chemotherapeutic drug delivery in a single injection that directly eliminates these key cells.
In a series of xenograft mice studies, funded by the National Institutes of Health, QARRUS™ provided six weeks of drug delivery and elevated drug concentration in tumor and regional tissues ten-fold over baseline, leading directly to a four-fold reduction in tumor volume over four weeks (relative to controls).
This QARRUS™ formulation also maintained systemic drug levels five times below the clinical threshold for dose limiting toxicity.
Cancer survival rates have changed little in the past two decades, highlighting a clear need for improved treatment options, particularly for patients with locally advanced disease where tumor cells have infiltrated regional tissues. An increase in chemotherapeutic candidate attrition from 78% to 82% during this period, often due to dose-related toxicity, has illustrated the need for novel, targeted formulations that de- risk clinical translation and create improved medications for cancer treatment.
“An increasing body of recent evidence has demonstrated that high-level tumor behaviors from angiogenesis to metastasis depend on robust cross-talk between CSCs and TAMs,” commented Dr. Sam Rothstein, CSO of Qrono. “The QARRUS™ platform advances the state-of-the-art in loco-regional targeted chemotherapy by delivering drug to an established tumor and its TAMs while improving patient safety relative to i.v. administration".
This project was funded in whole or in part with Federal Funds from the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract No. HHSN261201400043C.
Larry Zana, Qrono, Inc., http://www.qrono.com, +1.412.213.8788, [email protected]
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