• Poster Includes Preclinical Data on Novel Direct Pan-RAS Inhibitors

CARLSBAD, Calif., April 10, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Qualigen Therapeutics, Inc. (“Qualigen” or “the Company,” Nasdaq: QLGN) today announces a poster presentation on its preclinical Novel Direct Pan-RAS Inhibitors was presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2024 held April 5 – 10 in San Diego, California.

“We continue to see cancers developing resistance to current clinical agents that target a particular K-RAS mutation, and we remain optimistic that a more broad-based Pan-RAS inhibitor may help resolve these issues”, commented Michael Poirier, Qualigen’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “The data show that our Pan-RAS inhibitors can interfere with K-RAS, H-RAS and N-RAS activity and signaling, on both mutant and wild type RAS. This suggests there could be a viable window for Pan-RAS inhibitors in patients with RAS driven tumors, as well as a potentially broader application to cancers not usually associated with RAS, such as certain classes of Ovarian, Breast, and NF1 loss driven Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors (MPNST).”

The Annual AACR Conference is a focal point of the cancer research community, where scientists, clinicians, other health care professionals, survivors, patients, and advocates gather to share the latest advances in cancer science and medicine.

Highlights from this Poster

Abstract #3320 - “Novel Direct Pan-RAS Inhibitors" - Howard Donninger, Rachel Ferril, Becca von Baby, Joe Burlison, Mike Sabo, Tariq Arshad, Rob Monsen, John Trent, and Geoffrey J. Clark - Results demonstrated the compounds' role as Pan-RAS inhibitors. These compounds effectively target and disrupt the activity and signaling of various RAS mutations, including K-RAS, H-RAS, and N-RAS, impacting both mutant and wild type variants. Encouragingly, in vivo studies indicate minimal toxicity associated with these compounds, likely due to their selective suppression of RAS signaling at the administered doses. These results hint at a promising therapeutic potential for Pan-RAS inhibitors in clinical settings, emphasizing their significance in cancer treatment strategies.

About Pan-RAS

Qualigen Therapeutics has collaborated with Dr. Geoff Clark and Dr. Joe Burlison at the University of Louisville, Kentucky to develop a series of potentially highly potent compounds to take forward into preclinical development. Lead compounds are believed to suppress or block the interaction of endogenous RAS with c-RAF, and thereby influence the K-RAS, H-RAS, and N-RAS effector pathways. RAS acts as a “hub” that activates multiple effector pathways, hence blocking any single pathway may be ineffective for many RAS-driven tumor types, including pancreatic, lung, and colorectal cancers. This approach could potentially enable a differentiated, pan-RAS strategy for inhibiting the MAPK, PI3K, and RAL pathways implicated in cancer cell proliferation, survival, and differentiation.

About Qualigen Therapeutics, Inc.

Qualigen Therapeutics, Inc. is an early-clinical-stage biotechnology company. Until the sale of its diagnostic business in 2023, Qualigen had a 20+ year history developing, marketing and selling medical devices in the United States and internationally. Our investigational QN-302 compound is a small molecule selective transcription inhibitor with strong binding affinity to G4s prevalent in cancer cells; such binding could, by stabilizing the G4s against “unwinding,” help inhibit cancer cell proliferation. QN-302 is currently in a Phase 1a clinical trial. The preclinical compounds within Qualigen’s family of PAN-RAS oncogene protein-protein interaction inhibitor small molecules are believed to inhibit or block the binding of mutated RAS genes’ proteins to their effector proteins, thereby leaving the proteins from the mutated RAS unable to cause further harm. In theory, such mechanism of action may be effective in the treatment of about one quarter of all cancers, including certain forms of pancreatic, colorectal, and lung cancers.

For more information about Qualigen Therapeutics, Inc., please visit www.qlgntx.com.

Contact:

Michael Poirier
Qualigen Therapeutics, Inc.
760.452.8111
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