Kancera announces results from the ROR project in connection with a presentation on November 17th

Neither standard treatments nor the newest drugs for CLL have the desired effect on Richter’s syndrome, so there is a great medical need for new drugs against this disease.

Studies together with Dr. Georgios Rassidakis at the Karolinska Institute and MD Anderson Cancer Center (USA) have shown that tumor cells from Richter’s syndrome carry ROR1 in a majority of patients examined.

Kancera has also shown that its ROR1 inhibitors are active against cancer cells of the same type as in Richter’s syndrome. Thus, the potential clinical use of ROR1 inhibitors may be broadened.

About the ROR project
ROR is a family of receptors, ROR1 and ROR2. The ROR receptors mediate signals for growth and survival. Originally ROR was linked to fetal development, but it is now known that they also contribute to cancer cell development and proliferation. Professor Håkan Mellstedt, Kancera´s co-founder and professor at the Karolinska Institute, and his colleagues have shown that Kancera´s ROR inhibitors have the ability to kill cells from tumors in pancreas and leukemia cells. Professor Mellstedt and his colleagues as well as independent researchers have shown that ROR is also active as a target in prostate, breast, skin and lung cancer as well as multiple myeloma.

Because ROR primarily generates a survival and growth signal to tumor cells but is inactive in healthy cells in adults, there are good prospects that a drug directed against ROR hit the tumor much harder than the surrounding healthy cells. Kancera and Professor Mellstedt have shown that inhibition of ROR leads to that cancer cells eliminate themselves by cellular suicide. Against this background, there are reasons to anticipate that a ROR-targeted drug is both safer and more effective than several chemotherapies currently used to treat cancer.

About Kancera AB
Kancera develops the basis for new therapeutics, starting with new treatment concepts and ending with the sale of a drug candidate to international pharmaceutical companies. Kancera is currently developing drugs for the treatment of leukemia and solid tumors, based on blocking survival signals in the cancer cell and on addressing cancer metabolism. Kancera’s operations are based in the Karolinska Institutet Science Park in Stockholm and the company employs around 15 people. Kancera shares are traded on NASDAQ First North and the number of shareholders were about 7800 as of October 14th, 2016. FNCA is Kancera’s Certified Adviser. Professor Carl-Henrik Heldin, Professor Håkan Mellstedt, and MD PhD Charlotte Edenius are board members and Kancera´s scientific advisers.

For further information, please contact,
Thomas Olin, CEO: +46 (0) 735 20 40 01
Address:
Kancera AB (publ)
Karolinska Institutet Science Park, Banvaktsvägen 22
SE 171 48 Solna
Please visit the company website; http://www.kancera.com