GT Biopharma Inc (GTBP)

[TPX]

OXIS' TriKE Cancer-Fighting Platform Receives Favorable News Coverage in Minneapolis Star-Tribune

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / October 4, 2016 / Oxis International Inc. (OTCQB: OXIS and Euronext Paris OXI.PA) announced today that its promising TriKE cancer-fighting platform was highlighted in the Science section of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

The article described how researchers at the University of Minnesota developed the promising new cancer technology at the university's Masonic Cancer Center. Earlier this year, Oxis announced that it had signed an exclusive license agreement with the university to commercialize its Trispecific Natural Killer Engager technology, or TriKE, as a cancer therapy. This follows the most recent award from the NIH "Reach" program the university received in recognition by the NIH for biotechnology (TriKE) most likely to have commercial success.

"We are pleased with the recognition our technology is receiving," Mr. Cataldo said. "We believe the TriKE platform from University of Minnesota has found a way to expand the immune cell population within the patient, but not at the expense of creating a toxic environment."

The off the shelf TriKE technology has several benefits compared to CAR-T therapy, which is known to be expensive and has been shown to carry significant side effects. Both Kite Pharma (Nasdaq:KITE) and Juno Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq:JUNO) have gained significant attention for their CAR-T efforts.

Anthony J. Cataldo, Chief Executive Officer of Oxis, said the news coverage is a sign that the TriKE platform is gaining much-deserved national attention.

"The TriKE approach will initially be tested against acute myeloid leukemia, a cancer of the bone marrow and blood that is easier than other cancers to target with this experimental therapy," the newspaper reported.

TriKE has shown promise because of its ability to activate patients' NK cells, or natural killer cells, to find and destroy cancer cells, without common side effects found in other cancer therapies. It also has the ability to cause NK cells to multiply, enhancing their cancer-fighting abilities.

"Instead of having one cell for your army, you would have an entire army of cells for your army that would be fighting the cancer," Dr. Daniel Vallera, a cancer researcher at the University of Minnesota, told the Star-Tribune.

The article carried the headline: "Can 'natural killer' cells beat cancer? The U is trying to find out."

Access the full article through this link: http://www.startribune.com/can-natural-killer-cells-beat-cancer-the-u-is-trying-to-find-out/395313491/

"The TriKE approach will initially be tested against acute myeloid leukemia, a cancer of the bone marrow and blood that is easier than other cancers to target with this experimental therapy," the newspaper reported.

"If the approach works against leukemia, it should eventually work against cancers of the breast, colon, kidney and other organs."

The university's relationship with Oxis Biotech Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Oxis, was addressed in the article.

"The U reached a deal this summer with Oxis Biotech Inc. to commercialize a TriKE approach and guide it through the federal regulatory process to prove it safe and effective," the Star-Tribune reported.

The medical journal Science Translational Medicine recently highlighted TriKE research by the University of Minnesota's Vallera and Dr. Jeffrey Miller. Science Translational Medicine designated the research as an "Editors' Choice," and said "TriKEs were superior in restoring potent antigen-specific NK cell responses against AML targets and mediated robust and specific NK cell proliferation" (compared to bispecific killer engagers without the modified IL-15 linker).

ABOUT OXIS INTERNATIONAL, INC.

Oxis International, Inc., through a wholly owned subsidiary, Oxis Biotech, Inc., develops innovative drugs focused on the treatment of cancer and other unmet medical needs. Oxis' lead drug candidate, OXS-1550 (DT2219ARL) is a novel bispecific scFv recombinant fusion protein-drug conjugate composed of the variable regions of the heavy and light chains of anti-CD19 and anti-CD22 antibodies and a modified form of diphtheria toxin as its cytotoxic drug payload. OXS-1550 simultaneously targets cancer cells expressing the CD19 receptor or CD22 receptor or both receptors. When OXS-1550 binds to cancer cells, the cancer cells internalize the drug and are killed due to the action of drug's cytotoxic payload. OXS-1550 has demonstrated success in early human clinical trials in patients with relapsed/refractory B-cell lymphoma or leukemia. OXS-4235 is a small molecule therapeutic candidate targeting the treatment of multiple myeloma and associated osteolytic lesions. In in vitro and in vivo models of multiple myeloma and osteoporosis, OXS-4235 demonstrated the ability to kill multiple myeloma cells, and decrease osteolytic lesions in bone. OXIS' lead drug candidate, OXS-2175, is a small molecule therapeutic candidate targeting the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). In in vitro and in vivo models of TNBC, OXS-2175 demonstrated the ability to inhibit metastasis.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/oxis-trike-cancer-fighting-platform-121500210.html