Aeterna Zentaris: Preclinical Data For AEZS-108 In Bladder Cancer Published Online In Oncotarget

QUÉBEC CITY, July 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - Aeterna Zentaris Inc. (NASDAQ: AEZS) (TSX: AEZ) (the "Company") today announced that preclinical data for the Company's targeted cytotoxic luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) analog, AEZS-108 (formerly AN-152), in urinary bladder cancer, have been published in the online edition of Oncotarget. The article outlines AEZS-108's powerful growth inhibition of bladder cancers in nude mice, as well as its safety profile.

Juergen Engel, PhD, President and CEO of Aeterna Zentaris stated, "Results of this study were the basis which warranted the development of AEZS-108 into the clinical stage and eventually led to the current Phase 2 trial in refractory bladder cancer conducted by lead investigator, Gustavo Fernandez, MD, of the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine."

The Study

The study investigated the expression of LH-RH receptors in clinical bladder cancers and in HT-1376, J82, RT-4 and HT-1197 human bladder cancer lines. The effect of AEZS-108 on growth of these tumor lines xenografted into nude mice was analyzed. Molecular and functional assays were used to also evaluate differences between the effects of AEZS-108 and doxorubicin (DOX), the cytotoxic moiety of AEZS-108, alone. The study demonstrated the expression of LH-RH receptors on 18 clinical bladder cancers by immunohistochemistry and on four human urinary bladder cancer lines HT-1376, J82, RT-4 and HT-1197 by Western blotting and binding assays.

Results

AEZS-108 powerfully inhibited growth of these bladder cancers in nude mice, exerted greater effects than DOX and was less toxic. In contrast to DOX alone which activated strong multidrug resistance mechanisms in RT-4 and HT-1197 cancers, AEZS-108 had no or less such effects. PCR assays and  in vitro studies revealed differences in the action of AEZS-108 and DOX on the expression of genes involved in apoptosis.

A copy of the article is available by clicking on this link

About Bladder Cancer

Bladder cancer refers to the development of abnormal cells that amass in the tissues of the bladder to form a malignant tumor. The most common type of bladder cancer, transitional cell carcinoma (or urothelial carcinoma), develops in the cells lining the inside of the bladder. In the U.S., urothelial carcinomas account for more than 90 percent of all bladder cancers.

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