SRI International Researchers Present Promising New Therapeutic for the Treatment of Multiple Myeloma

MENLO PARK, Calif., May 11 /PRNewswire/ -- SRI International, an independent nonprofit research and development organization, announced today that researchers have developed an anti-angiogenic molecule SR16388 that has demonstrated preclinical antitumor activity against multiple myeloma (MM). The new research was recently presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), held in Washington, D.C.

Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the immune system that affects plasma cells in bone marrow. It is the second most common blood-based malignancy (after lymphoma), affecting approximately 20,000 new patients each year.

"More effective treatment options for multiple myeloma are urgently needed and the SRI cancer drug discovery team is actively working on developing next-generation agents that may extend the lives of patients and lead to a cure," said Lidia Sambucetti, Ph.D., senior director of SRI's Center for Cancer Research.

SR16388 has been shown to have excellent oral bioavailability and a favorable safety profile.  In studies, it has shown to potently inhibit angiogenesis in lung and prostate cancers. Based on in vitro and in vivo preclinical data, SRI researchers believe that SR16388 has promise as a new therapeutic for the treatment of multiple myeloma. In the new work presented at AACR, researchers demonstrated that SR16388 inhibits the growth of multiple myeloma cells and experimental tumors. This agent is different from current multiple myeloma therapies in that it works by blocking the ability of cancer cells to survive and grow in hypoxic (low oxygen level) microenvironments that are typical of this malignancy. In part, the drug does this by inhibiting the development of new blood vessels that supply oxygen and nutrients to multiplying cancer cells. SR16388 is currently in late-stage preclinical development, which will prepare the agent for entry into human clinical trials.

About SRI's Biosciences Division

SRI's Biosciences Division carries out basic research, drug discovery, and drug development, and provides contract services. SRI has all of the resources necessary to take R&D from idea to IND®—from initial discovery to the start of human clinical trials—and specializes in cancer, immunology and inflammation, infectious disease, and neuroscience. SRI's product pipeline has yielded marketed drugs, therapeutics currently in clinical trials, and additional programs in earlier stages. In its CRO business, SRI has helped government and other clients and partners advance well over 100 drugs into patient testing. SRI is also working to create the next generation of technologies in areas such as diagnostics, drug delivery, medical devices, and systems biology.

About SRI International

Silicon Valley-based SRI International is one of the world's leading independent research and technology development organizations. SRI, which was founded by Stanford University as Stanford Research Institute in 1946 and became independent in 1970, has been meeting the strategic needs of clients and partners for more than 60 years. Perhaps best known for its invention of the computer mouse and interactive computing, SRI has also been responsible for major advances in networking and communications, robotics, drug discovery and development, advanced materials, atmospheric research, education research, economic development, national security, and more. The nonprofit institute performs sponsored research and development for government agencies, businesses, and foundations. SRI also licenses its technologies, forms strategic alliances, and creates spin-off companies. In 2009, SRI's consolidated revenues, including its wholly owned for-profit subsidiary, Sarnoff Corporation, were approximately $470 million.

SOURCE SRI International