Novogen reaches cancer drug milestone

Novogen (ASX:NRT) has successfully manufactured the enantiomer of cancer treatment candidate CS-6, discovering that one form is 200 times more effective than the alternative.

Enantiomers are the left and right form of chiral molecules including pharmaceutical active ingredients. A chiral molecule is one which creates a non-mirror image while reversed.

One enantiomer of a drug can be significantly more active than another. As is typical, Novogen concentrated its early-stage drug development for CS-6 using a combination of the two forms.

But after promising preclinical results, Novogen has now isolated and manufactured the two enantiomers and screened each in vitro against brain cancer cell lines.

One of the enantiomers was around 200 times more effective than the alternative against all brain cancer lines tested.

Novogen CSO Dr Andrew Heaton called the separation of the two forms a “significant milestone” in the development of CS-6.

“The indication that one form of CS-6 is active at nanomolar concentrations against a broad spectrum of brain cancer lines is exciting, and indicates that the earlier potencies we have seen ... are likely to be even greater with the purified enantiomer,” he said.

CS-6 is a super-benzopyran drug candidate designed to target both cancer cells and cancer stem cells.

The candidate has potential applications in a wide range of cancers. But because it has been designed to cross the blood-brain barrier, Novogen is initially developing CS-6 for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme - the main form of primary brain cancer.

Novogen last week also revealed that CS-6 proved to be cytotoxic to a variety of difficult-to-kill ovarian cancer cell lines during laboratory testing.

The company late last year closed the acquisition of Triaxial Pharmaceuticals and reappointed Novogen founder and Triaxial co-founder Graham Kelly to the post of CEO.

Novogen shares were trading 10.2% lower at $0.22 as of around 1 pm on Tuesday.