SAN DIEGO, Oct. 22, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TRACON Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company that develops targeted therapies for oncology and ophthalmology, today announced data being presented on TRC105 during two poster presentations at the 2013 AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics which is taking place October 19-23, 2013 in Boston. TRC105, a novel monoclonal antibody to endoglin (CD105), is being studied in multiple clinical trials in combination with agents that target the VEGF pathway.
On Sunday, October 20, in a poster presentation titled, "Exploratory textural CT evaluation of the combination of TRC105 and bevacizumab (BEV) indicates partial response by Choi criteria in BEV refractory advanced cancer patients and identifies candidate markers of response," Dr. Ron Korn of Imaging Endpoints Core Lab, Scottsdale, Arizona, presented data on five patients indicating that radiographic partial responses by Choi criteria were observed in patients who had progressed on prior BEV therapy. Qualitative textural analysis identified potential lesion-based predictors of response, and responding lesions tended to have an alteration of hypoxia on baseline CT scans prior to treatment.
On Monday, October 21, in a poster presentation titled, "CD105: A Therapeutic Target for Sarcomas," Dr. Steven Robinson of the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, presented data on the results of immunohistochemical (IHC) staining for endoglin expression in 146 sarcoma patient-derived tumor tissue samples. The vast majority of tumor specimens expressed endoglin in the tumor vasculature, and additionally, there was a high degree of endoglin expression directly on malignant cells in angiosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma with lower rates of expression on undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma, uterine leiomyosarcoma and osteosarcoma. A clinical trial combining TRC105 with Votrient® (pazopanib, GlaxoSmithKline) in soft tissue sarcoma is currently under development.
About TRC105
TRC105 is a novel, first-in-class, clinical stage antibody to endoglin (CD105), an endothelial cell receptor that is essential for the process of new blood vessel formation called angiogenesis. TRC105 is currently being studied in multiple clinical trials in cancer patients, sponsored by both TRACON and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP) and is expected to complement VEGF inhibitor therapies (including Avastin®). TRC105 is also expected to complement VEGF inhibitor treatments (e.g., Eylea® and Lucentis®) in age-related macular degeneration. For more information about the clinical trials, please visit TRACON's website at http://www.traconpharma.com/clinical_trials.php.
About TRACON
TRACON Pharmaceuticals develops targeted therapies for people with cancer and age-related macular degeneration. The current pipeline includes two clinical-stage product candidates, each addressing a unique cellular process, that are expected to complement currently available therapies. TRACON aims to develop effective and well-tolerated treatments for underserved populations with the ultimate goal of enhancing survival and quality of life. To learn more about the company and its products, visit TRACON's website at www.traconpharma.com.