NEW YORK, Sept. 25, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stemline Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:STML) announced today that SL-401, which is entering pivotal clinical trials in blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML), has shown preclinical activity in an additional hematologic cancer indication, chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Marina Konopleva, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Leukemia, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, will present studies detailing SL-401's notable activity against CML primary blasts and cancer stem cells (CSCs) in animal models and in vitro at the European School of Hematology (ESH) International Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Foundation (ICMLF) 15th International Conference on CML – Biology and Therapy in Estoril, Portugal on September 26-29, 2013. SL-401 significantly reduced the growth of CML blasts, as well as CSCs, from patients with tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)-resistant CML. In addition, the combination of SL-401 and the TKI, imatinib (Gleevec), had a significant synergistic effect on inhibiting the growth of primary CML cells from patients. SL-401 also prolonged the survival of mice inoculated with primary cells from a CML patient in blast crisis who was resistant to several TKIs.
SL-401, a novel therapeutic targeting the interleukin-3 receptor (IL-3R) that is overexpressed on the CSCs and tumor bulk of a wide range of hematologic cancers, is entering pivotal clinical trial programs in BPDCN and AML, as well as clinical evaluations in several other hematologic malignancies. SL-401 has demonstrated single-agent clinical activity in multiple hematologic cancer indications including advanced cases of BPDCN, AML and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Moreover, SL-401 was well-tolerated and non-toxic to the bone marrow.
Details on the presentation are as follows:
SL-401, a targeted therapeutic directed at the interleukin-3 receptor, inhibits the growth of leukemia stem cells from patients with CML
Presenter: Marina Konopleva, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Leukemia, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Session: Scientific Session I
Date/Time: Thursday, September 26, 2013; 16.00-16.15 UTC+0100
Location: Estoril Congress Center, Estoril, Portugal
About Stemline Therapeutics
Stemline Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel oncology therapeutics that target both cancer stem cells (CSCs) as well as the tumor bulk. Among Stemline's drug candidates are SL-401 and SL-701, both of which have demonstrated clinical activity, including durable complete responses (CRs), and an overall survival (OS) benefit versus historical controls in Phase 1/2 studies of advanced cancer patients. For more information about Stemline Therapeutics, visit www.stemline.com.
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