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Egenix is a privately held, New York-based biotechnology company focused on the development of innovative cancer therapeutics and a diagnostic for prostate cancer.
The company’s therapeutic platform technology consists of small molecule drugs applicable for the treatment and prevention of a broad spectrum of cancers. Our lead drug candidates inhibit the protein “translation initiation factors”eIF4E and eIF2α, specifically blocking production of multiple cancer promoting proteins and promoting apoptosis (programmed cell death) and upregulation of tumor suppressor genes. eIF4E and eIF2α are attractive cancer therapeutic targets because every function necessary for cancer growth and metastasis is influenced or mediated by a gene product that is regulated by these translation initiation factors. Data from four human cancer xenograft studies using two of our lead compounds tested against breast cancer and melanoma, demonstrated 100% tumor inhibition and 20% to 30% tumor reduction. We are completing a preclinical data package which we will present to potential licensing partners later this year.
Our diagnostic, PACT, is a novel screening test for prostate cancer. Egenix’ complex PSA test more than doubles the specificity of current versions of the complex PSA test and improves the accuracy of testing for early diagnosis of prostate cancer. Egenix developed this novel sandwich ELISA immunoassay in partnership with the Institute of Urology Peking University (“University of Beijing”). Data from the first 288 clinical samples tested in two separate clinical evaluations (one in China and one in the US) showed a specificity of greater than 65% at a sensitivity of 90%. We are in the process of blindly testing 750 samples (one-third each prostate cancer, BPH, and prostate cancer-disease free) at the University of Colorado at Denver Health Sciences Center. We expect to run the samples by the end of July and could be in a position to move forward with licensing discussions shortly thereafter.