Role of enzyme GSTP1-1 in progression of cancer, other diseases associated with increased cell proliferation

Telik, Inc. (Nasdaq: TELK) today announced the publication of a review in the journal, Cell Death and Differentiation: Glutathione transferases as mediators of signaling pathways involved in cell proliferation and cell death; http://www.nature.com/cdd/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/cdd201080a.html.  This review describes recent advances in the understanding of the important role that the enzyme GSTP1-1 plays in the progression of cancer and other diseases associated with increased cell proliferation.  Telintra®, Telik's investigational drug candidate inhibitor of GSTP1-1, has recently been reported to show positive results in a Phase 2 trial in patients with MDS, a disease characterized by disordered cell proliferation and differentiation.  Reprints of the publication are available from Telik.  

Background on MDS

The myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a heterogeneous group of clonal hematopoietic stem cell disorders characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis (blood cell production) involving one or more cell lineages (red blood cells, white blood cells or platelets) and a variable risk of transformation to acute myeloid leukemia (AML).  MDS becomes more common with age.  It is estimated that MDS affects approximately 300,000 people worldwide.  According to the American Cancer Society, 10,000–20,000 new cases of MDS are diagnosed each year in the United States, with survival rates ranging from six months to six years.  MDS patients often require blood transfusions to manage their disease.

There remains a critical need for effective, well tolerated therapies for MDS.  Telintra has a novel mechanism of action that inhibits an enzyme called glutathione S-transferase P1-1 which may activate JNK kinase, a key regulator of cellular growth and differentiation of blood precursor cells.  Telintra has been shown to stimulate normal multilineage differentiation of blood stem cell precursors and induce cancer cell death, or apoptosis, in human leukemia cell lines.  Additional information on Telintra is available at www.telik.com.