Q BioMed & ChemVeda Announce Potential Chemotherapeutic Breakthrough

Q BioMed, Inc. and Chemveda Life Sciences recently announce the successful chemical synthesis of a unique natural compound that has shown remarkable efficacy as a potential chemotherapy for the treatment of liver cancer. This is a significant advancement for Q BioMed’s portfolio asset Uttroside B and the compound’s derivatives as a chemotherapeutic agent against, the most common form of liver cancer.

Additional confirmatory cell line efficacy data from current testing is expected to be completed in the next few weeks. The collaboration will advance the Q BioMed portfolio asset Uttroside B and its derivatives as a potential chemotherapeutic agent against hepatocellular carcinoma. The efficacy of Uttroside B, a potent saponin, against liver cancer was recently demonstrated in a preclinical study published in the November 2016 issue of Scientific Reports, a Nature journal.

The compound was isolated and characterized from the leaves of Solanum nigrum Linn, a plant widely used in traditional medicines. In the Scientific Reports study, researchers showed that in animal models, Uttroside B was 10 times more cytotoxic to the HepG2 liver cancer cell line than sorafenib, the only drug approved by the FDA for liver cancer approved at the time and the current first line treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma. Sorafenib has been shown to increase survival by less than 3 months and has significant serious side effects, including hypertension, hemorrhage, and cardiovascular events including decreased blood flow to the heart and heart attacks.

Uttroside B significantly shrunk tumors in mice bearing human liver cancer xenografts. In addition, in preclinical experiments Uttroside B induced cytotoxicity in all liver cancer cell lines, and researchers were also able to confirm its biological safety, both by in vitro and in vivo studies.

Denis Corin, Q BioMed CEO, said “Having a synthetic molecule and several derivatives to work with now makes the ultimate production of a clinical drug candidate possible. Along with our collaborators in the project, the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation and The Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, we will now advance the most promising candidates into preclinical testing and validation over the next few months in anticipation of an orphan drug application and an IND clinical program in early 2020.”

Bheema Paraselli, President & CEO, Chemveda Life Sciences, added “Obtaining Uttroside B, even in milligram quantities, from its natural source is very challenging. Our Chemveda scientists achieved the first total synthesis of the molecule, which can now be scaled in large quantities for clinical development and ultimate drug product. Uttroside is one of the most complex natural products we have seen and worked on. We are very glad to have achieved this significant scientific milestone and look forward to ensuring its pre-clinical and clinical success in the fight against liver cancer.”

Chemotherapeutic options for liver cancer are limited, and the prognosis of patients remains challenging. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is the second most common cause of cancer deaths worldwide, claiming approximately 750,000 lives each year. In the US, the American Cancer Society estimates that 42,000 people will be diagnosed with liver cancer in 2019 and that 32,000 will die from the disease this year. Liver cancer incidence has more than tripled since 1980 and deaths in the US have increased 56% since 2003.

The Uttroside B technology is covered by a provisional patent application. To see the full Scientific Reports study, go to: http://www.nature.com/articles/srep36318

Q BioMed Inc. is a biotech acceleration and commercial stage company. We are focused on licensing and acquiring undervalued biomedical assets in the healthcare sector. Q BioMed is dedicated to providing these target assets; strategic resources, developmental support, and expansion capital to ensure they meet their developmental potential, enabling them to provide products to patients in need‏. For more information, visit www.qbiomed.com.

Chemveda Life Sciences is a chemistry focused, aggressively growing, contract services partner helping global pharmaceutical & biotech companies, and academia improve their cost and timeline efficiencies over internal R&D. Chemveda is headquartered in Hyderabad, India and is creating a niche by providing cutting edge solutions ranging from highly exploratory discovery chemistry to drug product development across multiple chemistry classes. Chemveda’s team of over 200 vastly qualified scientists is supported by its significant investments in client oriented facilities, systems and processes defined on the guiding principles of quality, safety and compliance. For more information, visit http://chemvedals.com.

OMRF (omrf.org) is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institute dedicated to understanding and developing more effective treatments for human diseases. Its scientists focus on such critical research areas as cancer, diseases of aging, lupus and cardiovascular disease.

RGCB is an autonomous national institution fully owned by the Government of India. It does pioneering research in cellular and molecular mechanisms of human animal and plant disease by amalgamating theory, modeling, simulation and experimental science.