GlycoMimetics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a
new class of glycobiology-based therapies for a broad range of
indications, today announced that two abstracts describing preclinical
studies with GMI-1070 have been selected for oral presentations at the
51st Annual American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting being held
December 5-8 in New Orleans. Results of a Phase 1 clinical trial of
GMI-1070 were also accepted for poster presentation.
The two oral presentations describe the results of a series of
experiments demonstrating the activity of GMI-1070 in cancer-related
studies. GMI-1070 is a rationally-designed carbohydrate mimic (or
"glycomimetic") that has been shown to inhibit inflammation and cell
trafficking in several animal models of disease.
The first presentation describes the results of studies performed in
collaboration with researchers at The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in
Boston, Massachusetts. In animal models, GMI-1070 was shown to inhibit
the homing of multiple myeloma cells to the bone marrow, a key phase of
the disease. These data will be presented on Tuesday, December 8, 2009
at 8:30 a.m. during the Myeloma - Pathophysiology and Preclinical
Studies excluding Therapy: Targeting the Plasma Cell Microenvironment
oral session in a presentation titled “The Role of Selectins in the
Pathogenesis of Multiple Myeloma” (Abstract #951).
The second presentation describes the results of studies performed in
collaboration with scientists at the Mater Medical Research Institute in
Brisbane, Australia suggesting that GMI-1070 may protect bone marrow
from certain toxic effects of chemotherapy. These data, “Absence or
blockage of E-selectin-mediated cell adhesion delays hematopoietic stem
cell (HSC) turn-over and enhances chemoresistance” (Abstract #564), will
be presented on Monday, December 7, 2009 at 4:00 p.m. during the
Hematopoiesis - Microenvironment, Cell Adhesion and Mesenchymal Stem
Cells: Homing to the Niche oral session.