Sunshine Biopharma, a development stage pharmaceutical company focused on the research, development and commercialization of drugs for the treatment of various forms of cancer, has executed an agreement with The Jewish General Hospital, one of McGill University's Hospital Centers, to conduct the necessary R&D to advance Sunshine's lead compound, Adva-27a, through the various stages of pre-clinical studies and phase I clinical trials.
Adva-27a is a small molecule that inhibits Topoisomerase II, an enzyme found in abundance in various types of aggressive cancer, and Adva-27a will be developed to target tumors with over-expression of this target.
Dr. Steve Slilaty, Sunshine's president and CEO, said, "We are very excited to work with the Segal Cancer Center of the Jewish General Hospital, one of the top cancer centers in North America.”
"We anticipate Adva-27a to be available for "compassionate-use" by the end of the trial, as small-cell lung cancer patients have limited treatment options at present,” he said. “We are excited by the prospects together with the long-standing history of the Jewish General to further enhance the length and quality of cancer patients in our community and throughout the world."
The pre-clinical and clinical studies will be under the directorship of Dr. Gerald Batist, M.D., Minda de Gunzburg Professor of Oncology and Director of the McGill University Center for Translational Research in Cancer, which is a comprehensive cancer research and treatment program that includes a Clinical Research Unit, a Tissue Repository, a Molecular Modeling Unit, a GMP Cell Preparation Facility and a virtual link-up of scientists throughout the Montreal area focusing on laboratory-clinic interface research.
Dr. Batist said, "After reviewing Sunshine's Adva-27a data we became very interested in advancing the development of this compound. We are always looking for new treatment options for our cancer patients... we are excited about the potential of Adva-27a as an active agent against an important and identifiable therapeutic target."
