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DewDiligence

01/30/12 6:56 PM

#136101 RE: biomaven0 #136097

A few old posts on CSC’s from the iHub archive:

#msg-25479450 NYT (2007)
#msg-11785699 Scientific American (2006)
#msg-10786198 Molecular Cancer (2006)
#msg-9803820 NYT (2006)
#msg-2482896 WSJ (2004)

Based on a cursory inspection by someone who doesn’t know squat about this subject, it seems as though this field has not evolved that much during the past eight years. Comments?
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velcroBio

01/30/12 7:26 PM

#136104 RE: biomaven0 #136097

Another company working on CSC is Oncomed ( http://www.oncomed.com/ ).

They are a private company and still at early stage, but interesting because they have two big name partners in GSK and Bayer.
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biopearl

01/30/12 8:18 PM

#136108 RE: biomaven0 #136097

Hi Peter, don't know if the articles referenced by Dew (have not had time to go back and review them) mentioned imetelstat, a telomerase inhibitor currently in phase II trials (Geron). Geron as you probably know took a hit when they decided to no longer support their stem cell research and essentially shut down their phase I study using stem cells for spinal cord injuries. It seems that there was some benefit in understanding CSCs as a spin off of this research as it appears that telomerase is specific to cancer stem cells (and embryonic cells) and the telomerse inhibitor apparently shows some promise in targeting these cells. DLT is thrombocytopenia (probably a direct effect on megacaryocytes making thrombocythemia a possible clinical target as well). Several phase II studies in progress: myeloma, breast, lung. Worth checking out. Please let me know what you think. Geron has basically decided to refashion themselves as an oncology company. The telomerse story includes Elizebeth Blackburn and colleagues Nobel prize and makes for some interesting reading. Oh, and also some work on antitelomerase vaccines too, using embryonic stem cell derived dendritic cells as a delivery systerm. Wish Dew would consider this companies work as a candidate for the RMF section. Best Wishes, biopearl.
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DewDiligence

05/23/12 3:26 PM

#142432 RE: biomaven0 #136097

VSTM blurb in today’s Boston Globe:

http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2012/05/22/after-coup-verastem-navigates-choppy-waters-after-funding-coup-choppy-waters/S33ijR2yxJzhH7htBRG8YM/story.html

The ultimate goal is to provide patients with a cocktail containing two drugs: one attacking cancer non-stem cells and the other targeting the stem cells. A number of other companies, ranging from start-ups like OncoMed Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Redwood City, Calif., to drug giants such as GlaxoSmithKline in Britain, are also targeting tumor-initiating cells.