Novogen forms child cancer R&D partnership

Novogen (ASX:NRT) has formed two research partnerships to explore uses for its super-benzopyran technology, including a collaboration aimed at developing treatments for childhood cancer.

Novogen and the Children’s Oncology Drug Alliance (CODA) have teamed up to develop the first chemotherapy regime for the treatment of childhood solid cancers, with a particular focus on neuroblastoma.

CODA consists of the University of New South Wales, Australian cancer research charity The Kids’ Cancer Research Project (TKCP) and the Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio in the USA.

Novogen will provide both its super-benzopyran and anti-tropomyosin technologies for the project. The goal is for childhood trials of its lead drug candidates to be conducted in parallel with trials in a number of adult cancers, which are due to start in the US and Australia next year.

“The Holy Grail of childhood cancer therapy is a medicine that is effective against a tumour such as neuroblastoma, but doesn’t leave the sort of damage that the child then has to deal with for the rest of his or her life,” Novogen CEO Dr Graham Kelly said.

“We believe that the two drug technologies we have developed have the potency, selectivity and safety profile to meet the special needs of children.”

Novogen has separately announced a partnership with Genea Biocells aimed at testing super-benzopyran drugs to treat degenerative diseases of the nervous system and muscles.

Preliminary research suggests the drugs can help promote the normalisation of stem cells associated with some forms of neurodegeneration and muscular dystrophy.

The partners will test the molecules in lab models of degenerative diseases including infantile neuraxonal dystrophy, motor neurone disease, Sanfillipo syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease.

Genea Biocells uses stem cell lines sourced from couples undergoing IVF and conducting pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) to identify clinical development candidates for genetic diseases.

“Super-benzopyrans are the first drug class we have seen with the ability to selectively modulate misbehaving stem cells,” Genea Biocells General Manager Dr Uli Schmidt commented.

“Affected embryos identified during the PGD process cannot be used for implantation but can instead be donated by patients to develop stem cell lines carrying the genetic disease. These disease-specific cell lines can now be used to test the effectiveness of exciting new compounds that are thought to counteract the disease.”

Novogen (ASX:NRT) shares were trading unchanged at $0.17 as of around 1.30 pm on Monday