CHICAGO, IL and FORT WORTH, TX, April 3, 2017 – Actuate Therapeutics, Inc., a Chicagobased biopharmaceutical company, today announced that an article authored by its scientific founders titled “Molecular Pathways: Revisiting Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3β as a Target for the Treatment of Cancer” was published on March 31, 2017 in the Molecular Pathways special feature in the journal Clinical Cancer Research, one of the most respected peer-reviewed journals focused on cancer research.
Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3), is a complex regulator of numerous cellular functions. GSK-3 has been implicated in a wide range of diseases including neurodegeneration, inflammation and fibrosis, and cancer. In cancer, GSK-3β is a regulator of NF-kB mediated survival and chemo-resistance of cancer cells. Recent studies have identified GSK-3β as a potential therapeutic target in many types of cancer, including brain, pancreatic, lung, breast, leukemias and other difficult-to-treat malignancies. This published review focuses on the preclinical and clinical development of GSK-3β inhibitors, and the potential therapeutic impact of targeting GSK-3β in human cancer.
Actuate’s lead program is focused is on the development of a portfolio of GSK-3β inhibitors invented at University of Illinois-Chicago and developed under a collaboration with the Center for Developmental Therapeutics in the Chemistry of Life Processes (CLP) Institute at Northwestern University. Actuate has licensed exclusive worldwide rights to the intellectual property and know-how from both institutions, and is on course to submit an IND to the FDA this year to start clinical trials in cancer patients.
“The scientific community, including our scientific collaborators, continue to make excellent progress in advancing the science and understanding around the function of GSK-3β and its role in making cancers refractory to treatment. The article in Clinical Cancer Research further credentials role of GSK-3β in driving the progression of advanced cancer and provides an excellent review on its importance as a target for oncology drug development” stated Daniel Schmitt, President and CEO.
About Actuate Therapeutics, Inc. Actuate is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of new novel therapeutics for high impact cancers and inflammatory diseases. For additional information, please visit the Company’s website at http://www.actuatetherapeutics.com