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Multicell Technologies Demonstrates Drug
Candidate's Powerful Tumor-Destroying Capabilities for Virally Induced
Cancers such as Cervical Cancer
Company's Patented Toll-like Receptor Agonist
and Ig-Peptide Therapeutic Eradicates Cancer in
Preclinical Animal Model
SAN
DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MultiCell Technologies,
Inc. (OTCBB:MCET
- News), developing
first-in-class drugs based on advanced immune system modulation and other
proprietary technologies, today announced that co-administration of
MCT-465, a Toll-like Receptor (TLR) agonist, with the Company's patented
antigen presenting immunoglobulin therapeutic resulted in the control of
primary tumor growth, induced the immune system to completely destroy the
tumors, and ultimately prevented morbidity and mortality in 60 percent of
treated animals.
MultiCell's unique technology platforms,
designed to treat disease by modulation of the human immune system, may
have valuable application as a treatment for deadly diseases such as
cervical cancer and other cancers that are caused by viruses.
The method involves the
loading of an antigen presenting cell with at least one tumor associated
T-cell epitope attached to an immunoglobulin
backbone to form an Ig-peptide molecule ("IgNP") followed by administration the IgNP in conjunction with MCT-465, a dsRNA
TLR agonist adjuvant therapeutic.
"We believe these
experimental results represent a potentially valuable breakthrough in
cancer treatment. Several cancers, such as cervical cancer, are induced by
viruses, and are able to overpower the immune system and spread throughout
the body," said Dr. Stephen Chang, Chief Executive Officer of Multicell Technologies. "We demonstrated
conclusively that co-administration of MCT-465 with a virus specific epitope grafted to our patented antigen presenting
immunoglobulin therapeutic ("IgNP")
completely destroyed tumors and prevented mortality."
MultiCell is an innovator in the science
of modulating the human immune system with unique platform technologies,
focusing on the development of breakthrough drugs to treat serious
autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis and type-1 diabetes, as
well as influenza. Currently, the market for therapies that address these
diseases is estimated at $8 billion worldwide. The new therapeutic
combination further expands the Company's potential therapeutic development
targets to include cancer.
"Our work in this
area was recently published in the Journal of Immunology, and we have filed
several patents covering the technology," noted Dr. Chang.
"The most exciting
aspect of our work is we administered MCT-465 and IgNP
after the tumor had grown to a very large size in the animal, and observed
complete destruction of the tumor by the animal's immune system. We were able
to overcome cancer's ability to hide from detection by the immune system.
We believe that the implications for this work are far-reaching and could
someday help treat the millions of patients suffering from various
cancers," said Dr. Chang.
About MultiCell Technologies, Inc.
MultiCell Technologies, Inc. is an
integrated biopharmaceutical company committed to the development of
breakthrough therapeutics based on a portfolio of therapeutic candidates
and patented drug development technology. MultiCell's
drug development program is focused on modulation of the immune system.
MultiCell's therapeutic pipeline includes
drug candidates some of which are in various advanced stages of human
clinical trials. These therapies include:
- MCT-125 for the treatment of
chronic fatigue in MS patients. MCT-125 completed a Phase II clinical
trial and demonstrated significant efficacy in reducing chronic
fatigue in MS patients. There is no drug specifically approved for the
treatment of chronic fatigue in MS patients anywhere in the world.
- MCT-175 for the treatment of
relapsing-remitting MS. MCT-175, in preclinical development for the
treatment of relapsing-remitting MS, targets disease specific autoaggressive T-cells that destroy the myelin
sheath of nerve cells. MCT-175 successfully ameliorated the disease in
animal models.
- MCT-275 for the treatment of
type-1 diabetes. MCT-275, in preclinical development, targets
disease-specific autoaggressive T-cells that
destroy insulin producing cells in the pancreas. MCT-275 completely
reversed the type-1 diabetic phenotype and prolonged life in animal
models.
- MCT-465 in an adjuvant
therapy for the treatment of virus infection and cancer. MCT-465 in
preclinical studies successfully reduced pulmonary influenza virus
levels 1,000-fold in animal models, and has demonstrated effectiveness
in reducing virus levels of HIV and HCV in animal models. MCT-465 in
preclinical studies successfully eliminated certain types of tumors in
animal models.
The Company also holds unique
cell-based technology for use in drug discovery screening applications, and
is a leading producer of the cell lines needed by the biotechnology
industry to develop new drugs and therapeutics. For more information about MultiCell Technologies, please visit http://www.multicelltech.com.
Contact:
MultiCell Technologies, Inc.
Dr. Stephen Chang
MCETInvestor@MultiCelltech.com
or
Trilogy Capital Partners (Financial Communications)
Paul Karon, 800-592-6067
paul@trilogy-capital.com
Source: Business Wire (Tuesday November 21, 9:25 am ET)
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