Novogen announces positive preclinical results for melanoma treatment

Source: healio.com/Dermatology, December 2014

Novogen Limited has announced that TRXE-009, which was originally developed for treating brain cancers, was also found to be highly active against melanoma in preclinical studies.

The breakthrough confirms the importance of TRXE-009 as a new potential treatment for melanoma, including for the treatment of secondary brain cancers due to melanoma, and also offers the first evidence of a hypothesized link between brain cancer and melanoma, according to a company press release.

Nerve cells and melanocytes have a common origin in the embryo known as the neural crest — a tissue that not only serves as the basis of the neural cells that go on to form the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves, but also as the source of melanocytes; however, no functional link has been found previously between brain cells and melanocytes, or between brain cancer and melanoma, according to the release.

TRXE-009 comprises the super-benzopyrans (SBPs) and anti-tropomyosins (ATMs) drug technology compounds. Whereas SBPs are designed to kill the full heterogeneity of cells within a tumor, ATMs are designed to target the microfilament component of the cancer cell’s cytoskeleton and combine with antimicrotubular drugs to produce the comprehensive, fatal destruction of the cancer cell cytoskeleton, according to the release.

In addition to the drug’s previous efficacy against adult and pediatric brain cancer activity. TRXE-009 has now been confirmed to have high potency against melanoma cells without being affected by the tumor’s BRAF gene status. Novogen plans to develop the agent an oil-based proprietary formulation known as Trilexium, according to the release.

Reference: www.novogen.com.