Jasco initiates pancreatic cancer research program with NCCU in Durham

Jasco Pharmaceuticals, LLC has initiated a collaborative research program with North Carolina Central University (NCCU) in Durham, North Carolina, focused on developing therapeutics for pancreatic cancer that function through a Pim kinase mechanism of action. The research program will combine the biological platform, tools and expertise at NCCU in the laboratory of Professor Antonio T. Baines with Jasco Pharma's proprietary selective Pim kinase inhibitors. Prof. Baines is a faculty member in the Department of Biology with a joint appointment in the Cancer Research Program of the Julius L. Chambers Biomedical/Biotechnology Research Institute at NCCU.

"We are very excited to collaborate with NCCU and Professor Baines to better understand the role Pim kinases play in pancreatic cancer," said Dr. Carmen Baldino, President of Jasco Pharmaceuticals. "The research will accelerate our ongoing Pim inhibitor program, progress the knowledge base in pancreatic cancer biology, and further elucidate strategies for the development of therapies targeting Pim kinases, which are increasingly becoming recognized as an important target class in oncology."

Professor Baines added "Collaborative research between academia and industry is a vital component in helping to progress the basic research conducted in academic laboratories towards the discovery of targeted therapies to treat this lethal disease."

Source: Jasco Pharmaceuticals