NuCana Presents Exciting Data on Novel Anticancer Agent, NUC-3373, at the AACR-NCI-EORTC Conference in Boston

EDINBURGH, Scotland, November 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

363x higher intracellular levels of the active anti-cancer agent with NUC-3373 compared to 5-FU 

NuCana, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, today presented exciting data for the anti-cancer agent NUC-3373, a novel pyrimidine NucleoTide Analogue (ProTide). NUC-3373's distinguishing feature is that it is designed to overcome all the main cancer resistance mechanisms associated with 5-FU and capecitabine, the backbones of many cancer therapies.  These new data were presented at the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Boston, Massachusetts.

Key non-clinical findings showed that NUC-3373, when compared with 5-FU, generated 363x higher intracellular levels of the active anti-cancer metabolite, FdUMP, in cancer cells. Unlike 5-FU, NUC-3373 is a pre-activated form of FdUMP, bearing a protected monophosphate group for an efficient conversion into the active agent.  This resulted in significantly greater anti-proliferative activity with NUC-3373 than 5-FU across a broad range of sensitive and resistant cancer cell lines. Interestingly, NUC-3373 retained activity in Mycoplasma infected cells, a common clinical problem.  NUC-3373 decreased tumour weight and volume significantly compared to 5-FU in vivo and was significantly better tolerated in toxicology studies.

Hugh Griffith, NuCana's Chief Executive Officer, said: "We are delighted to be entering the clinic with this programme early in 2016.   The compelling results generated to date demonstrate that NUC-3373 has the potential to replace 5-FU as the standard of care for colorectal cancer and other solid tumours."

NUC-3373 is the second ProTide to emerge from NuCana's innovative ProTide technology platform that can be applied to all nucleoside analogues.  A Phase I study of NUC-3373 in patients with advanced solid tumours is scheduled to commence in Q1 2016.

Poster information  

Session ID: Poster Session B

Session Title: Drug Design

Session Date and Time: 7th November 2015, 12:30 PM - 3:30 PM

Location: Exhibit Hall C-D

Abstract Number: B46

About NuCana 

NuCana^® is a rapidly growing, clinical stage biopharmaceutical company with a broad development portfolio of novel anti-cancer medicines. The Company's proprietary ProTide technology has the potential to set new benchmarks in efficacy and safety with its treatments that are specifically designed to overcome key cancer resistance mechanisms. Acelarin^® is NuCana's lead medicine and was the first ProTide to enter the clinic in October 2010. Acelarin achieved exceptional levels of disease control in a broad range of patients with advanced, rapidly progressing solid tumours. Global Phase III studies with Acelarin are currently being planned in ovarian, biliary and pancreatic cancers. Privately held, NuCana, which raised $57 million in a Series B financing in April 2014, is backed by world-leading investors including Sofinnova Partners, Sofinnova Ventures, Morningside Ventures, Alida Capital International and the Scottish Investment Bank.

For more information, please visit: http://www.nucana.com

About ProTides 

ProTides are first in class pre-activated anti-cancer agents, with a protective phosphoramidate group that allows the medicine to bypass the key tumour resistance mechanisms that limit the activity of many current chemotherapy drugs. Acelarin was the first ProTide in oncology to be brought to the clinic and NUC-3373 is the second ProTide to complete non clinical testing and progress towards the clinic. The innovative ProTide chemistry is a technology platform that can be applied to all nucleoside analogues. Gilead's ProTides, Sovaldi^® and TAF, have shown the enormous potential of this new class of medicines for anti-viral therapy.

For more information, please contact             

Hugh S. Griffith                
CEO                    
Tel: +44-131-248-3660            
[email protected]            
http://www.nucana.com

Consilium Strategic Communications 

Mary-Jane Elliott
Ivar Milligan
Matthew Neal
Tel: +44-203-709-5700
[email protected]

SOURCE NuCana