Krakow, Poland – April 07, 2017 – Selvita, a clinical stage drug discovery and development company focused on innovative medicines for oncology patients, and Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Center and Institute of Oncology, leading Polish research and development institute focused on oncology, have jointly published most recent results of SEL120 program developed by Selvita.

The article titled “SEL120-34A is a novel CDK8 inhibitor active in AML cells with high levels of serine phosphorylation of STAT1 and STAT5 transactivation domains” was published in the Oncotarget on April 04.

SEL120 is a project focused on the development of small-molecule, selective CDK8 kinase inhibitors, with potential application in the treatment of hematological malignancies, and solid tumors characterized by deregulated transcription. Clinical candidate compound SEL120-34A has shown strong single-agent efficacy in multiple animal models of acute myeloid leukemia, mantle cell lymphoma, colorectal cancer, breast cancer and Wilms’ tumors.The mechanism of action is highly differentiated from CDK 1,2,4,6,7 and 9 inhibitors.

– As a result of a fruitful cooperation with Institute of Oncology, we published exciting results indicating potential of SEL120 in targeting of acute myeloid leukemia cells. What is exceptionally valuable, we have shown that SEL120 is active in poorly differentiated cells, as well as in leukemic stem cells. These cells are often the source of relapsed disease and a big challenge in terms of leukemia treatment – commented Tomasz Rzymski, Principal Investigator in SEL120 project. We cannot wait to be able to repeat these exciting results in a clinical setting in the future. Cooperating with the Institute of Oncology and teams led by Prof. Mikula and Prof. Ostrowski, was a real pleasure and a great example showing that cooperation between business and academia can be a vital element of a successful drug discovery process – Dr Rzymski added.