Ariad says preclinical oncology programs show anticancer activity

By Elaine Rigoli

Tampa, Fla., April 3 - Ariad Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that several preclinical studies being presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AARC) annual meeting demonstrate broad anticancer activity of Ariad's oncogenic kinase inhibitors and bone-targeted mTOR inhibitors - new molecularly targeted oncology therapies.

These data provide solid confirmation of the pharmacologic activity of Ariad's preclinical compounds and validate their potential to advance further in the development process, officials said.

Later this year, Ariad said it expects to select a compound from these promising programs to advance to clinical development.

Ariad's preclinical kinase inhibitors fall into two classes: inhibitors of key mutant kinases that confer resistance to current therapies and compounds that inhibit multiple pathways associated with cancer progression, such as metastasis, angiogenesis and survival, according to a news release.

"The compounds described in the AACR presentations represent early compounds that we have been sharing with academic collaborators to illuminate their potential applications and corresponding biology," chief scientific officer Timothy P. Clackson said in the release.

"The data from these studies have provided the necessary insights for lead optimization and extensive preclinical investigations. We are currently characterizing select and markedly more potent compounds from which we expect to move forward with our next development candidate."

Located in Cambridge, Mass., Ariad develops medicines to treat disease by regulating cell signaling with small molecules.

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