Lixte Biotechnology announces publication of preclinical data in EMBO Reports

LIXTE Biotechnology announced online publication of new pre-clinical data in the journal EMBO Reports, showing that its lead compound, LB-100, can turn immunologically “cold” tumors “hot,” potentially enhancing the benefit of immunotherapy. In a paper titled, “The Phosphatase Inhibitor LB-100 Creates Neoantigens in Colon Cancer Cells through Perturbation of mRNA Splicing,” LIXTE’s collaborators from the Netherlands Cancer Institute have demonstrated that treatment of cancer cells with LB-100 disrupts the normal processing of the mRNA that encodes proteins, thereby generating neo-antigens that are presented to the host immune system. Bas van der Baan, LIXTE’s Chief Executive Officer, said, “This new research further supports our ongoing clinical trials in lung and ovarian cancer in which LB-100 is combined with checkpoint immunotherapy. The bioactivity of LB-100 shown in this new study turns the large group of immunologically cold microsatellite stable colon cancer cells into tumors that are recognized by the immune system. This development has the potential to significantly expand the number of colon cancer patients who respond to immunotherapy. We are looking at additional ways to test this concept clinically in the near future.”