Pascal Biosciences Identifies Molecules in Cannabis That Stimulate the Immune System to Destroy Tumor Cells
21 Februar 2018 - 3:30PM
Pascal Biosciences Inc. (TSX.V:PAS) (“Pascal” or
the “Company”) today announced the Company has discovered certain
cannabinoids that enhance the immunogenicity of tumor cells,
rendering them more susceptible to recognition by the immune
system. This discovery is important because the leading class of
new cancer fighting agents, termed “checkpoint inhibitors”,
activates the immune system to destroy cancer cells. Enhancing
recognition of cancer cells with cannabinoids may greatly improve
the efficacy of this drug class. Cannabinoids are the chemical
compounds which give the cannabis plant its medicinal properties
with over 100 different cannabinoids identified. There is a growing
body of research demonstrating the effectiveness of cannabinoids in
the treatment of cancer symptoms, including nausea, appetite
enhancement, and pain management. However, Pascal is the first to
identify a mechanism in which cannabinoids may provide a direct
benefit in immunotherapy.
Tumor cells often arise in individuals, but they
are usually recognized by the immune system and destroyed. The
immune system identifies cells as either normal or dangerous in a
process called immunosurveillance. Cells that have become cancerous
are recognized by cytotoxic T cells, specialized immune cells that
target and kill the tumor cell. However, some malignant cells,
particularly metastatic cells, employ an immune escape strategy to
subvert and avoid recognition and are not recognized and attacked
by cytotoxic T cells. This allows the spread of tumor cells to
other tissues, potentially leading to fatal disease.
Checkpoint inhibitors are recently approved
drugs that activate the immune system to kill tumor cells. These
drugs are commercially successful (Opdivo®, Keytruda®, and Yervoy®
together had over $6B in 2017 sales) and more importantly, can cure
patients with some types of cancer, but only a fraction of patients
(generally less than half) respond to the drugs. There are
currently many efforts to find drugs that will enhance the activity
of checkpoint inhibitors, and Pascal has discovered cannabinoids
that activate a key step for immune recognition.
University of British Columbia Professor Wilf
Jefferies and his research team in the Michael Smith Laboratories
have developed a proprietary assay to discover compounds that can
increase immune recognition of tumor cells. Dr. Jefferies, the
scientific founder of Pascal, and his team screened thousands of
natural products and subsequently identified certain cannabinoid
molecules which have the greatest potency in their assay. While
different cannabinoids show numerous biological and pharmacological
effects, this is the first demonstration of immune activation by
individual cannabinoids. Scientists from both UBC and Pascal have
demonstrated that specific cannabinoids have strong potency on both
mouse and human cancer cells.
“We are very excited about this novel
discovery,” commented Dr. Patrick Gray, CEO of Pascal Biosciences.
“Cannabinoids typically have good pharmacological properties, as
most have low toxicity and are easily absorbed into the blood,
which are great advantages for drug development. In combination
with immune checkpoint inhibitors, cannabinoids may significantly
improve cancer care. We look forward to soon translating our
results into clinical studies.”
ABOUT PASCAL BIOSCIENCES INC. Pascal
Biosciences, Inc. (PAS, formerly bioMmune Technologies Inc.) is a
drug discovery and development company focused on harnessing the
body’s immune system to fight cancer. The Company’s three
significant technologies are:
- Utilizing proprietary screening systems for
identifying novel compounds that are able to restore immune
recognition and killing of cancer cells;
- Exploiting the regulation of specific calcium channels
expressed by cells of the immune system. By regulating these
calcium channels, immune activity can be controlled to combat
cancers, infections and autoimmune diseases; and
- Developing a therapeutic monoclonal antibody for B-cell
precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common childhood
leukemia, in collaboration with the University of New Mexico.
To learn more, visit: https://www.pascalbiosciences.com/.
On Behalf of the Board of DirectorsDr. Patrick W. Gray,
President & CEO
Company Contact: Dr. Patrick GrayTel:
206-650-6765
Investors:invest@pascalbiosciences.comTel:
206-221-3443
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