Dublin, Ireland, October 23, 2020 Inflection Biosciences Ltd, a company developing innovative therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, today announced the publication of pre-clinical data showing that the company’s first-in-class PIM/PI3K inhibitor, IBL-202, is synergistic with venetoclax and has promise as a treatment for high-risk chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL).
This research has recently been published in the peer-reviewed journal Blood Advances. The publication titled ‘IBL-202 is synergistic with venetoclax in CLL under in vitro conditions that mimic the tumour microenvironment can be accessed here.
The publication is the result of a collaboration with Dr Giles Best of the Northern Blood Research Centre, Kolling Institute of Medical Research, University of Sydney, Australia, and member of the CLL Australian Research Consortium (CLLARC), Sydney, Australia.
Dr. Best, the lead author of the publication, commented: “The results from this study suggest that combination of IBL-202 and venetoclax was highly synergistic and may be effective against CLL cells within the lymph nodes and bone marrow and may be particularly effective for patients with high-risk disease.”
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a type of cancer that is characterised by the over proliferation of white blood cells (called lymphocytes) in the peripheral blood, lymph nodes and bone marrow. CLL mainly affects older adults and accounts for about one-third of all leukemia cases. Despite significant advances in treatment, CLL remains an incurable disease. A growing body of evidence suggests CLL cells may adapt to, survive and even proliferate under hypoxic conditions of the tumour microenvironment. Further, deletions or mutations of TP53 remain strongly associated with poor clinical outcomes and treatment response rates in CLL. New treatment options which are effective under these conditions are required.
The published results show strong synergy between IBL-202 and venetoclax (Venclexta® - AbbVie) against primary CLL and OSU-CLL cells, irrespective of TP53 aberrations, evident under in vitro conditions that mimic the tumour microenvironment. The mechanisms of the synergy between IBL-202 and venetoclax include attenuation of AKT, BAD, and NF-kB phosphorylation, downregulation of Bcl-xL levels, and increase in the Noxa/Mcl-1 ratio. The results support the potential of the combination of IBL-202 and venetoclax as a highly effective treatment option, especially for CLL patients with high-risk disease.
About Inflection Biosciences
Inflection Biosciences Ltd is developing small molecule therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. The company's pipeline was licensed from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO). IBL-202 is a first-in-class, dual PIM kinase and PI3K inhibitor in development for B-cell malignancies, AML and multiple myeloma. The IBL-100 series comprises selective pan-PIM kinase inhibitors. The partnered pipeline comprises AUM302, a PIM/PI3K/mTOR inhibitor being developed by AUM Biosciences. For more information please visit www.inflectionbio.com
For Further Information Contact:
Inflection Biosciences Ltd
Darren Cunningham, Chief Executive Officer
E: dcunningham@inflectionbio.com
T: +353 (0)1 4003615