VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 22, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aquinox Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“ Aquinox ”) (NASDAQ: AQXP ), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company discovering and developing targeted therapeutics in disease areas of inflammation and immuno-oncology, today announced that a collaborative abstract has been accepted for presentation at the 58th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition to be held in San Diego, California from December 3-6, 2016. The abstract describes the in vitro response of malignant human B cells to a novel chemical activator of SHIP1 and is the product of research performed by Prof. Graham Packham and his research group at the University of Southampton in collaboration with Aquinox. Titled “Chemical Activation of the SHIP1 Inositol Lipid Phosphatase: A Novel Therapeutic Strategy to Suppress B-cell Receptor Signaling and CXCR4 Expression in Malignant Human B Cells”, the abstract can be found on the ASH website at www.hematology.org .
Poster Presentation
The abstract supports the hypothesis that chemical SHIP1 activation is sufficient to suppress BCR-mediated signaling in chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells, acting, at least in part, by decreasing activation of the AKT pathway. In addition, SHIP1 activation results in CXCR4 down-modulation in CLL cells, a response not observed with direct PI3K inhibition.
Title: Chemical Activation of the SHIP1 Inositol Lipid Phosphatase: A Novel Therapeutic Strategy to Suppress B-cell Receptor Signaling and CXCR4 Expression in Malignant Human B Cells (Abstract #2037)
Lead Investigator: Prof. Graham Packham BSc (Hons), PhD, Professor of Molecular Oncology within Medicine at the University of Southampton. Session Name: 642. CLL: Therapy, excluding Transplantation: Poster I Session Date: Saturday, December 3, 2016 Session Time: 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. PT
About Aquinox Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Aquinox Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a late clinical-stage pharmaceutical company discovering and developing targeted therapeutics in disease areas of inflammation and immuno-oncology. Our primary focus is anti-inflammatory product candidates targeting SH2-containing inositol-5'-phosphatase 1, or SHIP1, which is a key regulator of an important cellular signaling pathway in immune cells, known as the PI3K pathway. Aquinox's lead drug candidate, AQX-1125, is a small molecule activator of SHIP1 suitable for oral, once daily dosing. In September 2016, we began enrolling patients in a Phase 3 clinical trial of AQX-1125 in our lead indication, Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome (IC/BPS). Other indications are under consideration for future investigation. Aquinox has a broad intellectual property portfolio and pipeline of preclinical drug candidates that activate SHIP1. For more information, please visit www.aqxpharma.com .
Aquinox is publically traded on NASDAQ (AQXP) with offices in Vancouver, BC, Canada and in San Bruno, CA, USA.
Investor Contact Info:
Brendan Payne Senior Manager, Investor Relations Aquinox Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 604-901-3019 ir@aqxpharma.com
Gitanjali Ogawa Vice President The Trout Group 646-378-2949 Gogawa@troutgroup.com
