The first patient has already received a new cancer drug from City of Hope

City of Hope, one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States, today announced that the first patient to receive its novel, promising cancer drug, AOH1996, is doing well
.
Phase I clinical trials testing the safety of a potential anti-cancer therapy developed by City of Hope in patients with recurrent solid tumors are expected to continue for two years
.
This investigational drug is highly effective
in preclinical studies to treat breast, prostate, brain, ovarian, cervical, skin, and lung cancer cells.

Dr.
Linda Malkas, Professor in the Department of Molecular Diagnostics and Experimental Therapeutics at City of Hope, has been involved in the research and subsequent discovery and development of AOH1996 for 20 years
.
AOH 1996 is named after a little girl born in 1996, Anna Olivia Healy, who unfortunately failed to beat cancer
.
AOH 1996 was co-founded
by City of Hope exclusively licensed to RLL, LLC, a biotechnology company and Malkas.

Markas believes that the proliferating nuclear antigen (PCNA), which plays a vital role in cell replication and repair, will be a less toxic cancer treatment that can target mutated cancer cells without interfering with normal cells
.
In preclinical studies, the therapy has been shown to target PCNA and inhibit the growth and spread
of a wide range of human cancer cells.
The study protocol states that AOH1996 is not toxic to healthy cells, and that treatment with this drug can both suspend cellular DNA synthesis and inhibit DNA repair, leading to the death
of a type of cell known as apoptosis of cancer cells.

"Think of cancer as water full of bathtubs
.
If left unchecked, tumors or water can eventually spill out, destroying the rest of
your house.
"The treatments my team in City of Hope created are like a vigilant homeowner turning off the water — stopping the tumor from spreading to other parts of the house — and draining the tub to eliminate the cancer," said
trial co-investigator Markas, the Amadeinha Professor of Molecular Oncology at M.
T.
and B.
A.

Vincent Chung, MD, added, "By targeting PCNA, we inhibit the complex mechanisms
that prevent cell growth and proliferation.
It's a new way to try to
kill cancer cells or at least slow their growth.
He is a research professor in the Oncology and Therapeutics Research Unit at City of Hope and a principal investigator
in clinical trials.

Phase I clinical trials began
in Los Angeles, the City of Hope.
Its purpose is to determine the maximum tolerated dose of the test pill AOH1996 and to evaluate the initial efficacy
of the drug.
Eligible patients include adults
with solid tumors who have not been found to be effective with standard therapy.
Patients participating in the trial will be required to take the drug
in pill form twice a day.

"Because many patients' cancers have developed resistance to our standard therapies, we need new therapies with new mechanisms of action – for example, non-cross-resistance
.
" AOH1996 was this new treatment," said Daniel Von Hoff, MD, of the Division of Molecular Medicine at the Institute for Translational Genomics in City of Hope, who was also a consultant on
the study.
"Congratulations to Dr.
Markas and the City of Hope team for this new invention
.
"

Malkas said other targeted therapies, such as checkpoint inhibitors that inhibit cancer growth and spread, have helped countless cancer patients
.
He added that perhaps one day, AOH1996 will become a FDA-approved inhibitor that can be combined with existing therapies to both enhance anti-cancer effects and reduce the side effects
associated with life-saving cancer treatments.

With the infrastructure and support of the City of Hope, Markas was able to commercialize her basic research and turn her promising lab discoveries into clinical trials for the people who need tomorrow's therapies today
.
The City of Hope provides structures, experts and even GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) facilities
for the production of her medicines.

City of Hope is committed to supporting research and development and has a dedicated infrastructure to accelerate innovation
from the lab to the patient.
The system includes everything
from financial support to access to internal and external drug development expert consultation.
City of Hope's R&D facility leverages its foundational strengths in basic science and as a comprehensive cancer center's focus
on patient care.

Individuals interested in this clinical trial should check the eligibility requirements
on the clinicaltrials.
gov website.
If they think they are eligible, they can call 626-218-1133 or visit City of Hope's clinical trials webpage
.