IRVING, Texas, and
HOUSTON, and VANCOUVER, BC,
Oct. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/
-- Caris Life Sciences®, a molecular science company
developing and delivering technologies to revolutionize healthcare,
and ESSA Pharma Inc. (Nasdaq: EPIX) ("ESSA"), a clinical-stage
pharmaceutical company focused on developing novel therapies for
the treatment of prostate cancer, announced today a Precision
Development program to support ESSA's ongoing clinical development
of EPI-7386, a first-in-class N-terminal domain androgen receptor
inhibitor, in patients with metastatic castration-resistant
prostate cancer ("mCRPC") failing current standard-of-care
therapies.
Under the terms of the agreement, Caris and ESSA will evaluate
patient blood samples to assess genetic profiles utilizing Caris'
Whole Transcriptome Sequencing (WTS) and Whole Exome Sequencing
(WES) platform. ESSA will utilize these liquid biopsies, including
longitudinal data from serial samples, to better characterize the
tumor biological profiles of patients in the ongoing monotherapy
clinical trial of EPI-7386 in mCRPC patients.
"We are delighted to establish this collaboration with Caris,"
said Dr. David. R. Parkinson, Chief Executive Officer, ESSA Pharma
Inc. "We believe the unique biological platform provided by Caris'
comprehensive WTS and WES profiling will provide important
information at the individual patient level through a convenient
blood-based test. This information may facilitate a more efficient
development of EPI-7386 in patients with prostate cancer through
the identification of relevant patient tumor biological
subpopulations."
"We are excited to partner with ESSA to expand the reach of
Caris' best-in-class liquid biopsy offering, assessing all 22,000
genes in both DNA and RNA, which are unique to an individual's
cancer," said Brian Lamon, Chief
Business Officer at Caris Life Sciences. "Precision partnering
means tailoring our capabilities to the needs of our partners to
maximize the potential success for their therapeutic programs - and
achieving our shared goal of delivering more precise therapeutic
options to patients."
About Caris Life Sciences
Caris Life Sciences® (Caris) is a molecular science
company developing and delivering technologies to revolutionize
healthcare. The Company's suite of market-leading molecular
profiling offerings assesses DNA, RNA and proteins to reveal a
molecular blueprint that helps patients, physicians and researchers
improve outcomes and save lives.
As the pioneer in precision medicine, Caris is ushering in a new
era of cancer care with blood-based monitoring for patients before
treatment, during treatment and after treatment. Currently
available within Caris' Precision Oncology Alliance, Caris'
pan-cancer, circulating nucleic acids sequencing (cNAS) assay
combines comprehensive molecular analysis (Whole Exome and Whole
Transcriptome Sequencing from blood) and serial monitoring - making
it the most powerful liquid biopsy assay ever developed.
Caris is also advancing precision medicine through advanced
artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms.
Leveraging the Company's proprietary AI analytics engine, DEAN™,
across its extensive catalog of molecular intelligence and clinical
outcomes data, Caris is actively developing a better understanding
of the molecular mechanisms of cancer in ways never before
possible. This information provides an unmatched resource to help
physicians better identify and predict patient response to therapy,
as well as support researchers and biopharmaceutical companies
derive unique insights for research development, clinical trials
and target identification.
Headquartered in Irving, Texas,
Caris has offices in Phoenix,
Denver, New York, and Basel, Switzerland. Caris provides services
throughout the U.S., Europe,
Asia and other international
markets. To learn more, please
visit CarisLifeSciences.com or follow us on Twitter
(@CarisLS).
About ESSA Pharma Inc.
ESSA is a clinical-stage
pharmaceutical company focused on developing novel and proprietary
therapies for the treatment of patients with prostate cancer. For
more information, please visit www.essapharma.com and follow us on
Twitter under @EssaPharma.
About EPI-7386
EPI-7386 is an investigational,
highly-selective, oral, small molecule inhibitor of the N-terminal
domain of the androgen receptor. EPI-7386 is currently being
studied in a Phase 1 clinical trial (NCT04421222) in men with
metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer ("mCRPC") whose
tumors have progressed on current standard-of-care therapies. The
Phase I clinical trial of EPI-7386 began in Q3 of 2020 following
FDA allowance of the IND and Health Canada acceptance. The U.S. FDA
has granted Fast Track designation to EPI-7386 for the treatment of
adult male patients with mCRPC resistant to standard-of-care
treatment. ESSA retains all rights to EPI-7386 worldwide.
About Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is the
second-most commonly diagnosed cancer among men and the fifth-most
common cause of male cancer death worldwide (Globocan, 2018).
Adenocarcinoma of the prostate is dependent on androgen for tumor
progression and depleting or blocking androgen action has been a
mainstay of hormonal treatment for over six decades. Although
tumors are often initially sensitive to medical or surgical
therapies that decrease levels of testosterone, disease progression
despite castrate levels of testosterone can lead to metastatic
castration-resistant prostate cancer ("mCRPC"). The treatment of
mCRPC patients has evolved rapidly over the past 10 years. Despite
these advances, many patients with mCRPC fail or develop resistance
to existing treatments, leading to continued disease progression
and limited survival rates.
Forward-Looking Statement
Disclaimer
This release contains certain information which, as presented,
constitutes "forward-looking information" within the meaning of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and/or applicable
Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking information involves
statements that relate to future events and often addresses
expected future business and financial performance, containing
words such as "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate",
"expect", and "intend", statements that an action or event "may",
"might", "could", "should", or "will" be taken or occur, or other
similar expressions and includes, but is not limited to, statements
regarding ESSA's utilization of the data from the collaboration
with Caris to better characterize the tumor biological profiles of
patients in the ongoing monotherapy clinical trial of EPI-7386 in
mCRPC patients and ESSA's belief that the platform provided by
Caris' WTS and WES will provide important biological information at
the individual patient level and may facilitate a more efficient
development of EPI-7386 in patients with prostate cancer through
the identification of relevant patient tumor biological
subpopulations.
Forward-looking statements and information are subject to
various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which
are beyond the ability of ESSA to control or predict, and which may
cause ESSA's actual results, performance or achievements to be
materially different from those expressed or implied thereby. Such
statements reflect ESSA's current views with respect to future
events, are subject to risks and uncertainties and are necessarily
based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while
considered reasonable by ESSA as of the date of such statements,
are inherently subject to significant medical, scientific,
business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties
and contingencies. In making forward looking statements, ESSA may
make various material assumptions, including but not limited to (i)
the accuracy of ESSA's financial projections; (ii) obtaining
positive results of clinical trials; (iii) obtaining necessary
regulatory approvals; and (iv) general business, market and
economic conditions.
Forward-looking information is developed based on assumptions
about such risks, uncertainties and other factors set out herein
and in ESSA's Annual Report on Form 10-K dated December 15, 2021 under the heading "Risk
Factors", a copy of which is available on ESSA's profile on EDGAR
at www.sec.gov, and as otherwise disclosed from time to time on
ESSA's SEDAR profile www.sedar.com. Forward-looking statements are
made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the
date that statements are made and ESSA undertakes no obligation to
update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and
opinions or other circumstances should change, except as may be
required by applicable Canadian and United States securities laws. Readers are
cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking
statements.
Caris Corporate
Contact:
Brian Lamon, Chief
Business Officer
Caris Life
Sciences
blamon@carisls.com
Caris Life
Sciences Media Contact: Allison Kreutzjans
Edelman
Caris@Edelman.com
314-550-1327
|
|
ESSA
Contact:
Peter Virsik, Chief
Operating Officer
ESSA Pharma
Inc.
778-331-0962
|
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SOURCE Caris Life Sciences