MENLO PARK, Calif., Oct 13, 2009 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- SRI International,
an independent, nonprofit research and development organization, announced today
that it has been awarded a $1.55M U.S. Department of Defense/Prostate Cancer
Research Program (DoD/PCRP) grant to support product-driven, preclinical studies
of SRI's novel agents that have the potential to become prostate cancer drugs.
The goal of the program is to discover treatments that can revolutionize the
prevention, detection, or treatment of prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and second only to
lung cancer as a leading cause of cancer deaths in men. There is currently no
cure for advanced or metastatic prostate cancer. The available treatments for
localized prostate cancer often leave patients with uncertainty about disease
recurrence and complications such as incontinence or impotence. SRI researchers
are working to develop an effective and well-tolerated therapy that improves
prospects for a cure without impairing overall well-being.
With support from an earlier DoD/PCRP Idea Development Award, SRI researchers
developed a novel class of anticancer drugs derived from dietary indoles found
in cruciferous vegetables that prevent prostate tumor cell proliferation,
progression, and invasion. The novel lead compound, SR13654, shows antitumor
activity and disease control with few side effects at efficacious doses. Early
preclinical safety studies indicate that this class of bis-indole compounds
holds potential to be better tolerated than many anticancer agents currently on
the market.
"This award will support SRI's efforts to continue the research and development
of SRI's advanced lead, which holds promise for the treatment and prevention of
prostate cancer," said Ling Jong, Ph.D., principal investigator and medicinal
chemistry program director in SRI's Center for Cancer Research. "The successful
development of this class of drug will fill a significant unmet need in current
cancer therapy."
SRI researchers have experience moving new drug candidates from the laboratory
bench to clinical testing and onto the marketplace. Through collaboration with
the National Cancer Institute, SR13668, another compound derived from the
bis-indole platform works as an Akt pathway inhibitor and has already advanced
to human clinical trials for cancer prevention.
SRI's Center for Cancer Research, comprised of biologists and medicinal chemists
with expertise in fundamental and applied cancer research, focuses on the study
of tumor microenvironment, tumor metabolism, and aberrant signaling pathways
that cause cancer. Through collaborative partnerships, SRI's Center for Cancer
Research has been successful in generating an extensive drug pipeline
translating discoveries into beneficial treatments.
About SRI's Biosciences Division
SRI's Biosciences division carries out basic research, drug discovery, and drug
development, and provides contract services. SRI has all of the resources
necessary to take R&D from "idea to IND"(TM) - from initial discovery to the
start of human clinical trials - and specializes in cancer, immunology and
inflammation, infectious disease, and neuroscience. SRI's product pipeline has
yielded marketed drugs, therapeutics currently in clinical trials, and
additional programs in earlier stages. In its CRO business, SRI has helped
government and other clients and partners advance well over 100 drugs into
patient testing. SRI is also working to create the next generation of
technologies in areas such as diagnostics, drug delivery, medical devices, and
systems biology.
About SRI International
Silicon Valley-based SRI International is one of the world's leading independent
research and technology development organizations. SRI, which was founded by
Stanford University as Stanford Research Institute in 1946 and became
independent in 1970, has been meeting the strategic needs of clients and
partners for more than 60 years. Perhaps best known for its invention of the
computer mouse and interactive computing, SRI has also been responsible for
major advances in networking and communications, robotics, drug discovery and
development, advanced materials, atmospheric research, education research,
economic development, national security, and more. The nonprofit institute
performs sponsored research and development for government agencies, businesses,
and foundations. SRI also licenses its technologies, forms strategic alliances,
and creates spin-off companies. In 2008, SRI's consolidated revenues, including
its wholly owned for-profit subsidiary, Sarnoff Corporation, were approximately
$490 million.
SOURCE SRI International
URL: http://www.sri.com
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