Samus Therapeutics Announces Study Publication in Communications Biology on the Importance of Epichaperome Inhibition for Enhancing the Vulnerability of Cancer Cells

BOSTON, Dec. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Samus Therapeutics, Inc. ("Samus Therapeutics" or the "Company"), a privately held, Boston-based biopharmaceutical company developing epichaperome inhibitors to treat cancer and central nervous system (CNS) diseases, today announced the publication on November 25, 2021 of an open article in Communications Biology about how epichaperome inhibition by zelavespib (PU-H71) can increase the vulnerability of cancer cells to traditionally poor performing therapeutics.

The article, "Pharmacologically controlling protein-protein interactions through epichaperomes for therapeutic vulnerability in cancer," reported that PU-H71 can dramatically increase sensitivity of pancreatic cell lines or patient tumor extracts to established therapeutics. It also demonstrates a direct link between cancer cell survival and epichaperome formation, and between cancer cell vulnerability and epichaperome disruption by PU-H71. Considering these findings, the authors propose a therapeutic strategy using PU-H71 to induce a state of vulnerability to currently used drugs and thus enhance their effectiveness.

"It is well known that cancer cells continuously evolve and acquire the ability to evade the effects of established therapeutics," said Barbara Wallner, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of Samus Therapeutics. "Epichaperomes, tight protein complexes that act as multi-molecular scaffolds, mediate alterations in protein-protein interactions associated with the disease and pathologically remodel cellular processes. Inhibition of epichaperomes with PU-H71 disrupts epichaperome activity, causes structural dissociation and induces cancer cell death."

"These findings that PU-H71 can act synergistically with established therapeutics to potentially enhance their effectiveness aligns with our current clinical development strategy evaluating the compound in hematological malignancies," added Dr. Wallner.

Disclosures: The study was led by Gabriela Chiosis, PhD, Member of the Chemical Biology Program at the Sloan Kettering Institute at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Chiosis has intellectual property and financial interests related to Samus Therapeutics. Memorial Sloan Kettering has intellectual property rights and associated interests by virtue of licensing agreements between Memorial Sloan Kettering and Samus Therapeutics.

About Samus Therapeutics

Samus Therapeutics, Inc. is a privately held, Boston-based biotechnology company focused on addressing areas of high unmet medical need in cancer and neurodegenerative diseases through a novel approach to protein degradation and restoration of normal cellular pathways. Samus has a broad proprietary technology platform with two clinical-stage lead small molecules (zelavespib and icapamespib) targeting recurrent malignant glioma, myeloproliferative neoplasm, and neurodegenerative disorders including ALS and Alzheimer's Disease.

This press release contains certain forward-looking information about Samus Therapeutics, Inc. that is intended to be covered by the safe harbor for "forward-looking statements" provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts, and in some cases can be identified by terms such as "may," "will," "could," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "forecasts," and "believes." These statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the progress, timing and results of preclinical and clinical trials involving the Company's drug candidates, and the progress of the Company's research and development programs. All such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of the Company, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to whether any of our therapeutic candidates will advance further in the preclinical or clinical trials process and whether and when, if at all, they will receive final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or equivalent foreign regulatory agencies, whether our products will be successfully marketed if approved; the strength and enforceability of our intellectual property rights; and competition from other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. While Samus Therapeutics may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, it specifically disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking-statements contained in this press release whether as a result of new information or future events, except as may be required by law.

SOURCE Samus Therapeutics, Inc.

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