Lixte's Lead Drug Improves Chemotherapy In Study

Drug discovery company Lixte’s lead compound LB-100 increased the efficacy of two anti-cancer drugs against liver cancers in animal models.

Researchers at the Zhejiang University School of Medicine in Hangzhou in China reported that the compound significantly improved inhibition of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by doxorubicin and cisplatin in vitro and in vivo. Using the drug in combination with other treatments may present a new approach for enhancing cytotoxic treatment of HCC as well as potentially other cancers. Though the compound demonstrated modest activity, it has not been associated with an increase in survival, considered as the gold standard for assessing anti-cancer treatment benefit.

John Kovach, president, Lixte Biotechnology Holdings Inc. said, “The potentiation of cisplatin or doxorubicin when combined with LB-100 in animal models of HCC without a significant increase in toxicity is encouraging. The safety and toxicity of LB-100 in patients are currently under study in a Phase 1 trial in the USA. If LB-100 combined with cisplatin or doxorubicin is subsequently demonstrated to be safe in patients at concentrations which potentiate these drugs in animal models, we believe combination therapy with LB-100 will merit clinical evaluation in patients with advanced HCC, perhaps beginning with treatment of patients, who progress on standard chemotherapy.”

Hepatocellular carcinoma is the leading cancer around the world and occurs mainly in people with underlying hepatitis B infection. HCC is the third most common cause of deaths related to cancer. Incidence of the disease is observed to be increasing and is most likely linked to hepatitis C infection.

The results of the study were published in the journal Molecular Cancer Therapeutics entitled “Inhibition of protein phosphatase 2A enhances cytotoxicity and accessibility of chemotherapeutic drugs to hepatocellular carcinomas.”

Lixte uses biomarker technology for the identification of enzyme targets linked with serious common diseases and the design of novel compounds for the targets. The company’s unique phosphatase inhibitor LB-100 is currently undergoing investigation in a Phase I cancer trial at two NCI designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers.