VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rakovina Therapeutics Inc. (TSX-V: RKV), (“Rakovina” or the “Company”), a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the lives of cancer patients through the development of novel DNA-damage response inhibitor therapeutics, is pleased to announce that members of the Company’s scientific team presented new data on the Company’s novel kt-3000 series at the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting at the San Diego Convention Center.

In the presentation entitled, “Pharmacological Synthetic Lethality by Co-Inhibition of PARP and HDAC Enzymes” during yesterday’s Late Breaking Experimental and Molecular Therapeutics Research session at the conference, Rakovina discussed conceptual insights on how co-inhibition of these enzymes can eliminate cancer cells with an intact DNA repair machinery.

“We are very proud of our continued progress in our quest to find new treatments for cancer,” said Rakovina Executive Chair Jeffrey Bacha. “The research was led by our President and Chief Science Officer Dr. Mads Daugaard, and we continue to be highly encouraged about the direction of our pre-clinical research.”

“The combination of PARP and HDAC inhibition activity in one single drug candidate showed strong anti-tumor cell activity in DNA repair-proficient cells where single agent PARP inhibitors have limited effects,” said Dr. Daugaard. “Our research continues to support the idea that the development of bifunctional PARP-HDAC inhibitors may provide a novel therapeutic opportunity for tumors with resistance to first-generation PARP inhibitors.”

According to Bacha, first-generation PARP inhibitors have become an important standard-of-care in the treatment of several major solid tumors, including subsets of breast, lung and prostate cancers, generating nearly USD $3 billion in annual revenue. Resistance to PARP inhibitors develops over time so continued innovation is needed to meet the need for new and better treatments.

Dr. Daugaard said, “Lead candidates from our kt-3000 series dual-function PARP-HDAC inhibitors demonstrate the ability to overcome resistance to treatment and potentially treat cancers that would normally respond poorly to treatment with first-generation PARP inhibitors (such as Ewing Sarcoma, or any other DNA repair-proficient types of cancer). This novel approach not only addresses the unmet need, but also opens the door to potentially treat a wide range of cancers currently outside the scope of the first-generation PARP inhibitors.”

Development of Rakovina Therapeutics’ kt-3000 series is supported, in part, by the St. Baldrick’s Foundation Martha’s BEST Grant for All, which is aimed at developing new treatments for Ewing sarcoma, an aggressive bone and soft tissue cancer in children and young adults.

Collaborators on this project include the Vancouver Prostate Centre, Vancouver, Canada; Rakovina Therapeutics, Vancouver Canada; the Department of Urologic Sciences, the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and the Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.

The AACR is celebrating its 115^th year and expects over 21,000 attendees from around the world.

The Company recently announced a strategic evolution in its business model that places Rakovina at the forefront of artificial intelligence-driven (AI), precision research for cancer drug development. (See press release of March 27, 2024.)

About Rakovina Therapeutics Inc.

Rakovina Therapeutics Inc. is focused on the development of new cancer treatments based on novel DNA-damage response technologies. The Company leverages a proprietary AI drug discovery platform to support the development of novel DNA-damage response inhibitors with the goal of advancing multiple drug candidates into human clinical trials in collaboration with pharmaceutical partners. Rakovina’s overarching mission is to significantly enhance outcomes for cancer patients by delivering effective therapeutics, approved by regulatory agencies such as Health Canada, the United States Food and Drug Administration, and other international bodies.

Further information may be found at www.rakovinatherapeutics.com. 

For Additional Information Contact:
Rakovina Therapeutics Inc.
David Hyman
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