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November 15, 2004 Endocyte's research to reduce chemo's side effects receives state-federal dollarsWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - More than $3.5 million in federal and state grants will support research by Endocyte Inc., a Purdue Research Park life sciences company, to make cancer-treating drugs more potent yet easier for patients' systems to tolerate. The grants - $1.63 million from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and $1.95 million from the Indiana 21st Century Research and Technology Fund - will enable Endocyte to complete preclinical research on tumor-targeted chemotherapeutics. "These grants from the NCI and Indiana's 21st Century Fund are an important part of our plan to develop new targeted therapies for treatment of cancer," said P. Ron Ellis, Endocyte's president and chief executive officer. "Both grants are critical to the success of novel agents that we plan to see in human clinical trials by late 2005." The NCI grant will be dispersed over a three-year period; the state grant over a 2-year period. "The research will involve using the vitamin folate to transform various anticancer drugs into 'smart drugs,' which bypass normal cells in favor of diseased ones," said Christopher P. Leamon, Endocyte's vice president of research. Purdue University researchers discovered that many types of cancer cells have a great affinity for folate - a form of water-soluble B vitamin - because they need the nutrient in order to grow and divide. Endocyte and Purdue researchers then developed a way to trick cancer cells into attracting and even ingesting anticancer agents that are attached to folate molecules. This folate-targeted chemotherapy approach is one of two drug-targeting and delivery technologies licensed by Endocyte from Purdue University. The other approach, which also targets cancer while avoiding the surrounding normal tissue, involves attaching various markers to folate in order to force the body's immune system to fight the disease. This folate-targeted immunotherapy treatment method already is being tested in phase 1 Food and Drug Administration-regulated human clinical trials The National Cancer Institute is the U.S. government's primary center for cancer research and is affiliated with the National Institutes of Health. The National Cancer Institute conducts and supports cancer related-research, training and other programs. It is estimated that NCI-sponsored programs have played key roles in more than 80 percent of all drugs approved for cancer treatment and diagnosis. The Indiana 21st Century Research and Technology Fund was created in 1999 by the General Assembly to stimulate the process of diversifying the state's economy by developing and commercializing advanced technologies in Indiana. The fund makes awards in two broad categories: science and technology commercialization and centers of excellence. In addition, the fund provides cost-share on behalf of federal proposals submitted by Indiana-based entities. Founded in 1996, Endocyte Inc. is located in the Purdue Research Park, which is Indiana's first Certified Technology Park, and is home to the largest concentration of high-tech companies in the state. Endocyte, which is developing Purdue University-licensed cancer and autoimmune disease detection and treatment technologies, employs 40 people. This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on management's current expectations and involve significant risks and uncertainties that may cause results to differ materially from those set forth in the statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Writer: Jeanine Phipps, media relations, Purdue Research Park, (765) 494-0748, jeanine@purdue.edu Sources: P. Ron Ellis, (765) 463-7175, ellisr@endocyte.com Christopher P. Leamon, (765) 463-7175, chrisleamon@endocyte.com Marchell Baker, (765) 463-7175, marchellbaker@endocyte.com |
