MARLBOROUGH, Mass.,
Aug. 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- RXi
Pharmaceuticals Corporation (NASDAQ: RXII), a clinical-stage RNAi
company developing innovative therapeutics that address significant
unmet medical needs, today announced that it has selected two
self-delivering RNAi (sd-rxRNA®) compounds from its immuno-oncology
pipeline for preclinical development. For oncology treatments based
on adoptive cell transfer (ACT), compounds RXI-762 and RXI-804
suppress the expression of immune checkpoint proteins PD-1 and
TIGIT respectively, which can result in an improved efficacy to the
targeted tumors. This decision triggered the selection of a
manufacturing facility to initiate production of cGMP grade
material, initially for the first of these two compounds (RXI-762).
The latter also supports moving RXI-762 into clinical development
as early as 2018 as part of an ACT therapy.
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"It is our mission, using our novel technology platform, to
improve patients' lives through the development of a new class of
treatments," said Dr. Gerrit
Dispersyn, Chief Development Officer. He further added that,
"The selection of these two sd-rxRNA compounds, as well as securing
cGMP manufacturing for such compounds, brings us closer to
achieving this goal."
RXi's immuno-oncology program with sd-rxRNA provides a versatile
approach to improve upon well-established ACT methodologies. The
Company has identified lead compounds for a number of immune
checkpoint targets that provide a long-lasting effect, individually
and in combination, with target gene silencing demonstrated in
various immune effector cells relevant in cancer immunotherapy,
including CAR-T cells, TILs, and NK cells.
Also, the Company's ongoing discovery programs include, but are
not limited to, the evaluation of sd-rxRNA compounds to silence
targets related to cytokine release syndrome (CRS). One of
the development goals is to enhance the therapeutic potential and
reduce the toxicity profile of current immuno-oncology
treatments.
The potential advantages of RXi's approach using sd-rxRNA for
immunotherapy are:
- Single therapeutic agent with one or multiple immune
checkpoints attenuated
- Streamlined regulatory path: no multiple combination trials
required; newly discovered checkpoint targets can be rapidly
tackled; ex vivo application of sd-rxRNA; clinically proven
safety of sd-rxRNA
- Only small alterations needed in cell manufacturing process:
facilitates adaptation of existing cell technologies
About RXi Pharmaceuticals
RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation (NASDAQ: RXII) is a
clinical-stage company developing innovative therapeutics that
address significant unmet medical needs. Building on the
pioneering discovery of RNAi, scientists at RXi have harnessed the
naturally occurring RNAi process which can be used to "silence" or
down-regulate the expression of a specific gene that may be
overexpressed in a disease condition. RXi developed a robust
RNAi therapeutic platform, including self-delivering RNA
(sd-rxRNA®) compounds, that have the ability to highly selectively
block the expression of any target in the genome, thus providing
applicability to many therapeutic areas. Our current programs
include dermatology, ophthalmology, and cell-based
immunotherapy. RXi's extensive patent portfolio provides for
multiple product and business development opportunities across a
broad spectrum of therapeutic areas, and we actively pursue
research collaborations, partnering and out-licensing opportunities
with academia and pharmaceutical companies. For additional
information, visit the Company's website, www.rxipharma.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within
the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements
about: our ability to successfully develop RXI-109, Samcyprone™ and
our other product candidates (collectively "our product
candidates"); the future success of our clinical trials with our
product candidates; the timing for the commencement and completion
of clinical trials; our ability to enter into strategic
partnerships and the future success of these strategic
partnerships; and our ability to deploy our sd-rxRNA® technology
through partnerships, as well as the prospects of these
partnerships to provide positive returns. Forward-looking
statements about expectations and development plans of RXi's
product candidates and partnerships involve significant risks and
uncertainties, including the following: risks that we may not be
able to successfully develop and commercialize our product
candidates; risks that product development and clinical studies may
be delayed, not proceed as planned and/or be subject to significant
cost over-runs; risks related to the development and
commercialization of products by competitors; risks related to our
ability to control the timing and terms of collaborations with
third parties; and risks that other companies or organizations may
assert patent rights preventing us from developing or
commercializing our product candidates. Additional risks are
detailed in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and
subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q under the caption "Risk
Factors." Readers are urged to review these risk factors and
to not act in reliance on any forward-looking statements, as actual
results may differ from those contemplated by our forward-looking
statements. RXi does not undertake to update forward-looking
statements to reflect a change in its views, events or
circumstances that occur after the date of this release.
Contact
RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation
Tamara McGrillen
508-929-3646
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SOURCE RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation