Qualigen Therapeutics Extends Research Agreement with University of Louisville Research Foundation on RAS Program
16 March 2022 - 12:15AM
Qualigen Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: QLGN), a diversified life
sciences company focused on developing treatments for adult and
pediatric cancers with potential for Orphan Drug designation, while
also commercializing diagnostics, today announces the mutual
extension of a research agreement with University of Louisville
Research Foundation (ULRF). The revised agreement expands the
Company’s collaboration with the research institution to develop
its ongoing RAS-F platform currently in the discovery stage for
solid tumors through Q1 of 2023.
“This extension of our agreement with ULRF
represents our continued commitment to develop our exciting RAS-F
platform by leveraging the ongoing relationship with this
prestigious research institution,” commented Michael Poirier,
Qualigen’s CEO. “We are both proud to be associated with ULRF and
confident that our further collaboration may serve to identify the
lead candidate for IND-enabling studies by late 2022.”
Geoffrey Clark, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacology
and Toxicology at University of Louisville (UofL), stated, “The
partnership with Qualigen Therapeutics has been very important to
us. The expanded agreement gives our team the opportunity to
generate and select additional compounds, fully explore mechanisms
within the RAS pathway, and drive the program towards a lead
clinical candidate.”
Mutant RAS is the most common cancer oncogene,
present in one quarter of all cancers. It acts as a “hub” that
activates multiple effector pathways to promote cancer growth.
Targeting the downstream PI3K-AKT and RAF-MEK-ERK signaling
pathways has been a promising therapeutic approach to date.
However, approved therapeutic options are limited to cancers
exhibiting specific RAS mutations, such as KRAS G12C. Exploring
additional downstream effectors of the RAS pathway such as the RAL
GTPase family are areas of active research as there are no
FDA-approved pan-mutational RAS protein inhibitors.
Qualigen’s RAS-F program is a family of small
molecules designed to prevent mutated RAS gene proteins from
binding to their effector proteins. Exclusively in-licensed from
UofL, compounds from this discovery engine have been shown to
inhibit a broad range of RAS mutations and are active against the
growth of multiple in vivo tumor models. Qualigen is evaluating
promising compounds generated from this partnership in various
RAS-driven advanced solid tumors such as pancreatic, colorectal and
lung cancers.
About Qualigen
Therapeutics, Inc.
Qualigen Therapeutics, Inc. is a diversified
life sciences company focused on developing treatments for cancer,
as well as maintaining and expanding its core FDA-cleared FastPack®
System, which has been used successfully in diagnostics for over 20
years. Our investigational QN-302 compound is a small molecule
selective transcription inhibitor with strong binding affinity to
G4s prevalent in cancer cells; such binding could, by stabilizing
the G4s against “unwinding,” help inhibit cancer cell
proliferation. Our investigational QN-247 compound inhibits
nucleolin, a key multi-functional regulatory protein that is
overexpressed in cancer cells; QN-247 may thereby be able to
inhibit the cells’ proliferation. QN-247 has shown promise in
preclinical studies for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia
(AML). The investigational compounds within Qualigen’s RAS-F family
of RAS oncogene protein-protein interaction inhibitor small
molecules are believed to inhibit or block the binding of mutated
RAS genes’ proteins to their effector proteins, thereby leaving the
proteins from the mutated RAS unable to cause further harm. In
theory, such mechanism of action may be effective in the treatment
of about one quarter of all cancers, including certain forms of
pancreatic, colorectal, and lung cancers. In addition to its
oncology drug pipeline, Qualigen has an established diagnostics
business which manufactures and distributes proprietary and highly
accurate rapid blood testing systems to physician offices and small
hospitals for the management of prostate cancer and other diseases
and health conditions.
For more information about Qualigen Therapeutics, Inc., please
visit www.qualigeninc.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking
statements by Qualigen that involve risks and uncertainties and
reflect the Company's judgment as of the date of this release.
These statements include those related to the Company's prospects
and strategy for the development of therapeutic drug candidates.
Actual events or results may differ from the Company's
expectations. For example, there can be no assurance that the
Company will successfully develop any drugs (including QN-302,
QN-247 and RAS-F); that preclinical development of the Company's
drugs (including QN-302, QN-247 and RAS-F, and the deprioritized
infectious-disease drug candidate QN-165) will be completed on any
projected timeline or will be successful; that any clinical trials
will be approved to begin by or will proceed as contemplated by any
projected timeline, or at all; that any future clinical trial data
will be favorable or that such trials will confirm any improvements
over other products or lack negative impacts; that any drugs will
receive required regulatory approvals (or Fast Track designation or
Orphan Drug status) or that they will be commercially successful;
that patents will issue on the Company's owned and in-licensed
patent applications; that such patents, if any, and the Company's
currently owned and in-licensed patents would prevent competition;
that the Company will be able to procure or earn sufficient working
capital to complete the development, testing and launch of the
Company's prospective therapeutic products (including QN-302,
QN-247 and RAS-F, and QN-165); or that the Company will be able to
maintain or expand market demand and/or market share for the
Company's diagnostic products. The Company's stock price could be
harmed if any of the events or trends contemplated by the
forward-looking statements fails to occur or is delayed or if any
actual future event otherwise differs from expectations. Additional
information concerning these and other risk factors affecting the
Company's business can be found in the Company's prior filings with
the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent
Form 10-K, all of which are available at www.sec.gov.
The Company disclaims any intent or obligation
to update these forward-looking statements beyond the date of this
news release, except as required by law. This caution is made under
the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995.
Investor Relations:Jules AbrahamJQA Partners,
Inc.917-885-7378jabraham@jqapartners.com
Source: Qualigen Therapeutics, Inc.
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