LB-100 and its possible therapeutic applications based on lead compounds and certain other compounds’ drivers. He said, “We’re not aware of any competition at the moment, but we expect we’ll be getting some soon, but we have quite a lead.” According to Dr. Kovach, the overall market value for existing LB-100 clinical targets is estimated to be billions of dollars. He said, “But if you can image LB-100 truly improves the efficacy of cytotoxic chemotherapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy, the potential market is truly very large indeed”.
Dr. Kovach detailed how LB-100 might function. He noted that all basic cell operations necessitate switches that quickly turn on and off metabolic pathways. Defects in those crucial switches are a significant trigger of malignancy in cancer cells. Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), which is found in both normal and malignant cells, is one of the “master off switches” inhibited by LB-100.
Dr. Kovach said, “PP2A controls many aspects of cell division in the cell cycle, DNA damage repair, which is necessary if your cells are injured by chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Remarkably, recently, it’s been shown by several investigators that modifying PP2A with LB-100 alters the activity of T-cells, enhancing their ability to recognize and kill cancer cells shown in animal models.” He mentioned that LB-100 is a genuinely extraordinary substance. He said, “Maybe it’s not so surprising when we’re dealing with one of the major controllers of cell growth and division in the body.”
According to Dr. Kovach, a demonstration in a Phase 1 trial conducted at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and the US Oncology Network was a huge step forward that prompted Lixte to progress. They discovered that at levels linked with anti-cancer activity, LB-100 is well tolerated in cancer patients. Dr. Kovach said, “It was in that trial that patients who had advanced cancer of a variety of types — one patient with advanced pancreatic cancer had an objective response lasting almost a year — 10 out of 20 patients had sensational growth for at least 4 cycles. That doesn’t sound like much, but for patients who have failed all known treatments and progressing, it’s really quite encouraging.”
According to Dr. Kovach, Lixte has now emerged as a pioneer in assessing the efficacy of PP2A inhibition for cancer treatment. He highlighted its success in treating advanced small cell lung cancer, advanced soft tissue sarcomas, Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS), gliomas (brain tumors), and Angelman Syndrome. If the preclinical outcomes prove to be valid even in any one type of cancer, LB-100 could be a significant contribution to current cancer treatment.
