GenSpera G-202 data in journal

GenSpera, Inc. (OTCBB:GNSZ) announced that a study titled, "Engineering the Plant Product Thapsigargin into a PSMA-Activated Tumor Endothelial Cell Prodrug for Cancer Therapy," was published in the journal, Science Translational Medicine, on June 27, 2012 (http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/4/140/140ra86). The manuscript documents the extensive pre-clinical data and rationale for the development of G-202 as a potential treatment for a variety of solid tumors in human patients.

The paper also validated the enzyme, PSMA, as an appropriate molecular target for G-202. PSMA is expressed by both prostate cancer cells and endothelial (vascular) cells in a variety of cancers, but not by most normal tissues. Finally, the paper showed G-202 toxicity to be low in animal models. Based on these results, the researchers concluded that the G-202 cytotoxin and prodrug delivery platform produced sufficient therapeutic results to support advancing G-202 to human clinical trials.

"This publication marks the culmination of 40 years of collaborative, interdisciplinary research," said Søren Brøgger Christensen, PhD, study author, Professor at the University of Copenhagen and a member of GenSpera's Scientific Advisory Board. "We began studying the medicinal properties of the plant, Thapsia garganica, in the 1970's. Our group was the first to isolate the active ingredient, thapsigargin, elucidate its chemical structure and demonstrate that it kills tumor cells by blocking a specific intracellular calcium pump. Thapsigargin kills cells independently of their rate of cell division, which we believe can make it more effective than standard chemotherapeutic agents in treating a wide variety of human tumors."

"This paper represents a rare 'brain-to-bench-to-bedside' translational story," said John Isaacs, PhD, study author, Professor of Oncology at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University and a member of GenSpera's Scientific Advisory Board. "We engineered a 'molecular grenade' to deliver the superior anti-cancer activity of thapsigargin directly to the tumor, thereby unleashing its therapeutic potential at the cancer site. We are encouraged by our remarkable results in multiple human cancer models in mice and look forward to the outcome of the ongoing human clinical study."

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