EDMONTON, Nov. 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ - Quest PharmaTech
Inc. (TSX-V: QPT) ("Quest" or the "Company"), a biotechnology
company developing and commercializing products for the treatment
of cancer, today announced the acceptance for publication of a
research paper entitled "Antitumor Efficacy of Photodynamic Therapy
Using Novel Nanoformulations of Hypocrellin Photosensitizer SL052",
in the Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology. The paper
highlighted the results from a research study conducted by
scientists from the University of
Saskatchewan in Saskatoon
and the BC Cancer Agency in Vancouver, comparing the anti-tumor effect of
Quest's photosensitizer, SL052, in a novel nano-formulution with
other previously developed formulations for photodynamic therapy.
The results demonstrated the superior antitumor effect of the new
nanoparticle formulation over another nano-formulation which was
previously developed by the Company in collaboration with
IntelligentNano, an Edmonton based
private company. The results from that study were previously
published in the journal of Nanomedicine titled "Water-Soluble and
Biocompatible Sono/Photosensitizer Nanoparticles for Enhanced
Cancer Therapy".
The Company has filed patent applications for both of these
formulations; and has initiated a preclinical program to explore
their utility for intravenous delivery of Quest's proprietary SL052
photosensitizer for the treatment of gastrointestinal cancer. This
second generation photodynamic therapy product will complement the
Company's ongoing prostate cancer treatment program that utilizes
SL052 with a novel intra-arterial drug delivery system.
In another study completed by University of
Alberta scientists, the mechanism of action of the Company's
novel hypocrellin based photo/sono-sensitizer was examined and
published in a paper titled "Sonodynamic and Photodynamic
Mechanisms of Action of the Novel Hypocrellin Sonosensitizer;
SL017: Mitochondrial Cell Death is Attenuated by 11,
12-Epoxyeicosatrienoic Acid" in the Journal of Investigational New
Drugs.
"These new studies conducted by external researchers and
published in peer reviewed scientific journals show that this new
nanoparticle formulation of SL052 enhances the delivery of our
photosensitizer to the target area and can be utilized for various
indications thereby expanding the potential application of our
proprietary drug and formulations to treat a variety of cancers",
said Thomas Woo, Vice President of
Product Development at Quest.
About Quest PharmaTech Inc.
Quest is a publicly traded, Alberta-based biotechnology company committed
to the development and commercialization of oncology product
candidates. It is developing a series of products for the treatment
of cancer based on its pipeline of SonoLight compounds, and
monoclonal antibodies that target certain tumor antigens that are
presented in a variety of cancers. Quest believes that by combining
these antibodies with other cancer therapies such as chemotherapy
or photodynamic therapy, it can potentially further complement and
enhance treatment outcomes compared to antibody treatment
alone.
The Company's lead product candidate, Oregovomab, an
immunotherapeutic product for the treatment of ovarian cancer is
currently undergoing a multi-center Phase IIb clinical trial in
Italy. This is the first of three
carefully planned proof-of-concept clinical trials to establish the
superiority of combinatorial immunotherapy either with front-line
chemotherapy consisting of carboplatin/paclitaxel in ovarian
cancer, gemcitabine in pancreatic cancer, or with the addition of
an immunoadjuvant. The Company hopes that successful results from
these studies will lead to the design of a definitive product
registration study.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider
(as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture
Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of
this release.
SOURCE Quest PharmaTech Inc.