Cytopia claims positive results from anti-cancer trials

Medica Holdings (ASX:MCA) subsidiary Cytopia says it is firmly on the path to clinical trials with its anti-cancer molecule, after getting positive results from animal studies.

In studies led by Prof Tony Costello, director of urology at Royal Melbourne Hospital, the drug was shown to significantly reduce cancer growth in a mouse model of metastatic prostate cancer where human prostate cancer cells were transplanted into the mouse.

"We found at 40 days a reduction in primary growth by about 50 per cent in the prostate cancer and in the metastatic prostate cancer in lymph nodes about a 50 per cent reduction. I think it's very promising," Costello said.

The drug has shown similar promise in both in vitro and in vivo studies of several other cancers including the common form of childhood cancer, acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. It works by inhibiting a particular form of kinase involved in the cell growth cycle, ultimately causing the cell to die.

The company now hopes to complete the final series of pre-clinical pharmacology and toxicology studies in the next few months with a view to beginning human clinical trials by mid-2004.

Chief scientific officer Dr Andrew Wilks said the pre-clinical development took longer than the company expected because of the need to choose the best possible candidate lead molecule. "It's very easy to make a ligand, but much more difficult to make a drug," he said.

Earlier this week, Cytopia announced a collaboration with New York-based biotech company Myomatrix Therapeutics to develop kinase inhibitors for cardiovascular targets including heart failure and hypertension.

At the time of writing, the share price of Medica, which owns 80 per cent of Cytopia, had risen more than 12 per cent to AUD$0.73.