Preclinical Study Shows CTI's Brostallicin's Cancer-Killing Ability Based on Genetic Profiling

Systems Medicine LLC (SM), a wholly owned subsidiary of Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (CTI), presented data from a preclinical study demonstrating that the Company's experimental drug candidate, brostallicin, killed colon and ovarian cancer cells regardless of their p53 status.

The study, conducted by Cristina Geroni, Ph.D., et al of Nerviano Medical Sciences in Milan, Italy suggests that while brostallicin is more effective in cells with normal p53 status, cells with abnormal or missing p53 are also killed when treated.

P53 is a protein that regulates the cell cycle and acts as a tumor suppressor. Patient tumors that have low or absent p53 are less responsive to standard therapy and have a worse prognosis.

"The results of this study support the further clinical development of brostallicin. They also provide deeper insight into brostallicin's context of vulnerability concerning different types of p53 protein, and where it is most effective. In our continued efforts to make cancer more treatable, results like these increase our understanding of cancer and potential therapies, and bring us closer to being able to offer the right drugs to the right patients," said Jeffrey Jacob, CEO of SM.

This study examined brostallicin's effect on cell viability, cell cycle modulation, and the initiation of cell death in cancer cell models with either normal (also referred to as wild-type) or abnormal (mutated or absent) p53 tumor suppressor. These results were supported through tests in animal models, where brostallicin demonstrated a statistically significant effect on suppressing tumor growth.