- The stock price of Auris Medical Holding Ltd. (NASDAQ: EARS) increased by over 14% pre-market. This is why it happened.
The stock price of Auris Medical Holding Ltd. (NASDAQ: EARS) – a company dedicated to addressing unmet medical needs through RNA therapeutics, allergy and viral infection protection, and inner ear therapeutics – increased by over 14% pre-market. Investors are responding positively to Auris Medical Holding Ltd. (NASDAQ: EARS) announcing the publication of positive results from an in vivo study demonstrating significant inhibition of tumor growth by siRNA knock-down of NF-κB employing its OligoPhore technology in Adult T-cell Leukemia Lymphoma (ATLL). The article — “Targeting NF-κB with nanotherapy in a mouse model of adult T-cell leukemia / lymphoma” — was published in Nanomaterials, an international peer-reviewed open-access journal.
This study was performed jointly by research groups at Washington University, St. Louis MO, and the University of South Florida, Tampa FL. And the researchers developed and evaluated RNA nanoparticles based on Auris Medical’s OligoPhore peptide carrier and siRNA targeting simultaneously 2 NF-κB signaling pathways. And NF-κB is a protein complex that plays a key role in regulating the immune response to infection and is critical for tumor progression in ATLL. The siRNA nanoparticles were administered systemically to two groups of mice with either spontaneous ATLL tumor growth or tumor cell transplantation.
This study demonstrated rapid delivery of siRNA to the tumor and significant reduction of target mRNA and protein expression — which had altered the natural history of subsequent tumor progression. The tumor size, spleen size, and peripheral blood lymphocyte counts were significantly lower in treated mice compared to controls (p<0.01), and tumor growth was reduced to near zero in the most aggressive tumors. Plus the siRNA nanoparticles sensitized late-stage ATLL tumors to conventional chemotherapy with etoposide.
ATLL is known as a rare and aggressive type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma of mature T cells caused by the Human T-cell Leukemia / Lymphotropic Virus type 1 (HTLV 1). And it can be found in the blood, lymph nodes, skin or other parts of the body.
There are around 5-10 million people infected with HTLV 1 globally and it is estimated that 61 out of 100,000 of carriers will develop ATLL annually. This virus is endemic to Japan, sub Saharan Africa, South America, the Caribbean, central Australia, the Middle East, and Romania. Most cases are not curable with current treatments, even when diagnosed early. And the 5-year survival rate is 23.4% with a median survival of 11 months. The overall survival has remained unchanged since the disease was first described.
KEY QUOTE:
“We are very excited about the very encouraging results from the study in ATLL mice. ATLL is a very challenging condition with high mortality rate. Although NF-κB has been known for some time as a promising target, it has remained elusive to specific and effective treatment so far. With the use of OligoPhore technology, siRNA targeting NF-κB can be delivered intravenously and track the tumor very effectively with profound suppression of aggressive tumor proliferation. Since ATLL is a highly malignant tumor with no targeted molecular therapy at present, this outcome is not only very encouraging for drug discovery and development in this therapeutic indication, but also for other tumors and inflammatory pathological conditions involving the NF-κB molecular target.”
— Samuel Wickline, MD, Auris Medical’s Chief Scientific Officer
Disclaimer: This content is intended for informational purposes. Before making any investment, you should do your own analysis.
