NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Tolero Pharmaceuticals today announced it will exclusively license Eutropics' PraediCare Dx platform in the clinical development of alvocidib, a treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
Preliminary studies suggested that the flow cytometry-based PraediCare Dx platform can identify AML patients likely to respond to treatment with alvocidib, Tolero said in a statement. The small molecule therapy blocks transcription of the gene MCL-1 and induces a state of sensitivity to apoptosis-inducing agents. PraediCare Dx can measure malignant cells' dependence on MCL-1 by using peptides derived from BH3 domains of proteins to determine how cells avoid apoptosis.
Financial and other details of the agreement were not disclosed.
"We believe that the correlation between the PraediCare Dx readout and clinical response to treatment could greatly benefit AML patients, both by speeding alvocidib development and by directing its most efficacious use post-approval," Eutropics CEO Michael Cardone said in a statement. Tolero CEO David Bearss added that PraediCare Dx "further substantiates the clinical mechanism of action of alvocidib."
The licensing agreement is the latest stage of a collaboration between the two firms. In January 2014, they signed a collaborative agreement to use PraediCare Dx in the development of alvocidib for AML and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
In September 2014, Eutropics landed a $1.5 million contract with the National Cancer Institute to develop PraediCare Dx.