Organizational synergies will create transformative cancer
therapies
June 18, 2012
FORMA Therapeutics and TGen Drug Development (TD2) today
announced an agreement to jointly develop transformative cancer
therapies, leveraging the synergistic capabilities of both
organizations.
TD2 is a subsidiary of the Phoenix-based Translational Genomics
Research Institute (TGen), a world-renowned biomedical research
institute.
FORMA and TD2 also announced that Daniel D. Von Hoff, M.D.,
F.A.C.P., TGen's Distinguished Professor and Physician-in-Chief,
and Stephen Gately, Ph.D., President and Chief Scientific Officer
at TD2, will serve as clinical advisors to FORMA.
FORMA Therapeutics targets essential cancer pathways to create
transformative, small molecule cancer therapies. Its focus on early
identification of potent tool compounds helps facilitate target
validation, enabling the creation of a robust pipeline of new
therapies in areas such as tumor metabolism, protein-protein
interactions and epigenetics.
TD2's mission is to facilitate innovative drug development and
move new, targeted compounds to patients as quickly as possible.
TD2 applies cutting-edge preclinical tools, streamlined and
efficient regulatory processes and unique, targeted clinical trial
designs and strategies. The combination of cutting-edge science,
clinical development expertise and access to patients will
accelerate the development of new agents for patients.
"I am excited about the potential of this relationship between
FORMA and TD2," said Dr. Von Hoff. "It will accelerate the creation
of new molecules that could be placed in research programs, such as
our US Oncology Research Phase I program, further accelerating
development and getting the right treatment to the right patient as
soon as possible."
"TD2 brings preclinical and clinical development capabilities to
FORMA, filling the missing piece in our strategy to become a
fully-integrated research and development organization, leading the
creation of breakthrough medicines for cancer patients," said
Steven Tregay, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of FORMA. "We welcome
Drs. Von Hoff and Gately as advisors and their unprecedented
experience and networks in oncology drug development."
"FORMA's pioneering approach to oncology small molecule drug
discovery has been prolific in tackling intractable targets and
establishing industry partnerships," said Dr. Von Hoff. "We look
forward to bringing the experience of our team to the FORMA team to
guide its discovery programs and develop these important new drugs
for patients."
TD2 has helped transition more than 40 companies from discovery to
clinical development over the past five years, and TD2 has
collective experience in performing clinical studies on more than
400 new anti-cancer agents.
"Our oncology discovery programs span more than 30 drug targets
per year, and we need a partner to help direct the right drugs to
the right patient groups," said Kenneth Bair, Ph.D., Chief
Scientific Officer and Head of Research and Development of FORMA.
"The TD2 team provides unique access to genetically selected
patient populations that will help us both discover and test
personalized therapeutics."
# # #
About Daniel Von Hoff, M.D., F.A.C.P., TGen Physician-in-Chief,
TD2 Senior Investigator
Daniel D. Von Hoff, M.D., F.A.C.P., is Physician-in-Chief,
Distinguished Professor and Director of the Clinical Translational
Research Division at the Translational Genomics Research Institute
(TGen) in Phoenix, Ariz. He is also Chief Scientific Officer for US
Oncology Research and for Scottsdale Healthcare's Clinical Research
Institute. He holds an appointment as Professor of Medicine, Mayo
Clinic, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Dr. Von Hoff's major interest is in the development of new
anticancer agents, both in the clinic and in the laboratory. He and
his colleagues were involved in the beginning of the development of
many of the agents we now use routinely, including: mitoxantrone,
fludarabine, paclitaxel, docetaxel, gemcitabine, irinotecan,
nelarabine, capecitabine, lapatinib, vismodegib, and others. At
present, he and his colleagues are concentrating on the development
of molecularly targeted therapies particularly for patients with
advanced pancreatic cancer. Dr. Von Hoff has published more than
569 papers, 135 book chapters and more than 1,000 abstracts. Dr.
Von Hoff received the 2010 David A. Karnofsky Memorial Award from
the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) for his
outstanding contributions to cancer research leading to significant
improvement in patient care.
Dr. Von Hoff was appointed to President Bush's National Cancer
Advisory Board in 2004-2010. Dr. Von Hoff is the past President of
the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR, the world's
largest cancer research organization), a Fellow of the American
College of Physicians, and a member and past board member of ASCO.
He is a founder of ILEX™ Oncology Inc. (acquired by Genzyme after
Ilex had 2 agents, alemtuzumab and clofarabine, approved by the FDA
for patients with leukemia). Dr. Von Hoff is founder and the Editor
Emeritus of Investigational New Drugs - The Journal of New
Anticancer Agents and former Editor-in-Chief of Molecular Cancer
Therapeutics. He is a co-founder of the AACR/ASCO Methods in
Clinical Cancer Research Workshop. He is also proud to have been a
mentor and teacher for multiple medical students, medical oncology
fellows, graduate students, and post-doctoral fellows.
About Stephen Gately, Ph.D., President, Chief Scientific Officer,
TD2
Dr. Stephen Gately obtained his Ph.D. from McGill University in
the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery at the Montreal
Neurological Institute and Hospital. Thereafter he joined the
Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology at
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine as Research
Assistant Professor, where his research focused on the
identification and development of pharmacologic and endogenous
inhibitors of angiogenesis. During this time, Dr. Gately served as
a consultant to the Oncology Clinical Research Team at
Searle/Monsanto (now Pfizer). In this position, he was responsible
for scientific and technical input on clinical trial designs to
rapidly assess the utility of antiangiogenic compounds. Additional
responsibilities included interacting with discovery scientists to
understand drug mechanism of action to aid in the identification of
potential biomarkers for early clinical proof of drug activity
studies. He then joined the oncology-focused biopharmaceutical
company NeoPharm, where he served as Executive Director of
Translational Medicine. In this position, Dr. Gately had
responsibility for the design and implementation of basic and
clinical research studies to enhance the scientific understanding
and positioning of existing products and development candidates.
Dr. Gately then served as a consultant to Takeda Pharmaceuticals
North America, Medical and Scientific Affairs group, where he was
responsible for the scientific integration of non-clinical,
clinical and regulatory data on portfolio compounds for optimal
commercial planning. In addition, he was involved in the scientific
due diligence for oncology new business development opportunities.
Dr. Gately is currently President and Chief Scientific Officer at
TGen Drug Development (TD2).
About FORMA
Therapeutics
FORMA Therapeutics targets essential cancer pathways to create
transformative small molecule cancer therapies. FORMA's novel
approach to accessing high value drug targets, many of which pose
significant challenges to conventional discovery approaches,
leverages the integration of its innovative drug discovery
technologies and oncology expertise, enabling efficient screening,
discovery and rational development of small molecule drug
candidates with qualified cellular mechanisms of action.
FORMA is building a robust pipeline of cancer therapies in areas
such as tumor metabolism, protein-protein interactions and
epigenetics. FORMA is headquartered in Watertown,
Mass. www.formatherapeutics.com
About TD2
TGen Drug Development (TD2) is an oncology drug development
organization and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Translational
Genomics Research Institute (TGen). TD2 provides innovative
services for oncology focused biopharmaceutical companies using a
dedicated team of professionals with broad experience and
understanding in drug development. TD2 is uniquely positioned to
support the need for improved and accelerated development of new
chemical entities (NCEs) for life-threatening diseases. TD2 uses a
unique combination of experience gained through its contract
research organization business, and an integrated suite of
proprietary and non-proprietary tools, preclinical study execution,
regulatory affairs assistance, clinical trial design and
management, and drug development experts to successfully move
therapeutics towards regulatory approval. TD2 is dedicated to
reducing the risks and uncertainty inherent in the drug development
process. For more information, visit www.td2.org.
About TGen
The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is a Phoenix,
Arizona-based non-profit organization dedicated to conducting
groundbreaking research with life changing results. Research at
TGen is focused on helping patients with diseases such as cancer,
neurological disorders and diabetes. TGen is on the cutting edge of
translational research where investigators are able to unravel the
genetic components of common and complex diseases. Working with
collaborators in the scientific and medical communities, TGen
believes it can make a substantial contribution to the efficiency
and effectiveness of the translational process. For more
information, visit: www.tgen.org.
About US Oncology Research
Supported by McKesson Specialty Health,
www.mckessonspecialtyhealth.com, and The US Oncology Network,
www.usoncology.com/, US Oncology Research draws from a network of
experienced investigators and dedicated clinical staff who
specialize in Phase I through Phase IV oncology clinical trials. US
Oncology Research serves more than 85 practices in more than 245
locations managing more than 200 active trials at any given time.
Physicians in the research network have enrolled more than 52,000
patients in over 1,200 trials since inception in 1992 and have
contributed to the development of 43 cancer therapies approved by
the FDA. For more information call (800) 482-6700, option 4 or
visit www.usoncology.com/oncologists.com.