Agios Scientists Present IDH1 Data at 2010 AACR Meeting
WASHINGTON, D.C. & CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--April 21, 2010 -- Agios Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel drugs in the field of cancer metabolism, today announced multiple presentations at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) 101st Annual Meeting that highlight cancer metabolism as an approach to identify new ways to treat cancer, opening the potential for a new class of cancer drugs targeting metabolic enzymes.
In a poster session Sunday, April 18, “Cancer-associated IDH1 mutations produce 2-hydroxyglutarate,” Agios scientistsdemonstrated that the mutated IDH1 gene has a novel gain of function enzyme activity consistent with a cancer-causing gene, or oncogene. This breakthrough discovery shows that the mutated form of IDH1 produces a metabolite, 2-hydroxyglutarate (2HG), which may contribute to the formation and onco-malignant progression of gliomas, the most common type of brain cancers. Authored by Agios scientist Lenny Dang, Ph.D., this poster was also awarded special recognition by the 2010 AACR Program Committee as a particularly meritorious abstract, scoring within the top 2-3% of abstracts presented, identifying it as an abstract with “the best science” in its respective poster session.
The second presentation, authored by Agios researcher Stefan Gross, Ph.D., and presented in a poster session Wednesday, April 21, “Cancer-associated metabolite 2-hydroxyglutarate accumulates in AML with IDH1/2 mutations,” demonstrated that IDH1/2 mutations confer a similar enzymatic gain of function that dramatically increases 2HG in AML (Acute Myelogenous Leukemia).
Finally, Agios researcher Valeria Fantin, Ph.D., gave an oral presentation “Cancer-associated mutations in IDH1 and IDH2 produce 2HG,” on Monday, April 19, discussing the results of this research, which were the basis of a Nature publication in November 2009.
About Cancer Metabolism
Cancer metabolism is a new and exciting field of biology that provides an innovative approach to treating cancer. Cancer cell metabolism is marked by profound changes in nutrient requirements and usage to ensure cell proliferation and survival. Research in the field has demonstrated that cancer cells become addicted to certain fuel sources and metabolic pathways. Identifying and disrupting certain enzymes in these metabolic pathways provides a powerful intervention point for discovery and development of cancer therapeutics.
About Agios Pharmaceuticals
Agios Pharmaceuticals, a private, independent biopharmaceutical company, is dedicated to the discovery and development of novel therapeutics in the emerging field of cancer metabolism. To support and drive these efforts, Agios has built a robust platform integrating biology, metabolomics, biochemistry and informatics to enable target and biomarker identification.
To date, Agios has put in place a world-class scientific team, built the largest research laboratory dedicated to cancer metabolism and created an emerging compound development pipeline of novel cancer therapeutics. The Company’s founders and scientific advisors represent the core thought leaders in the field of cancer metabolism, responsible for key advances, insights and discoveries in the field. Agios Pharmaceuticals is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The company is financed by Third Rock, Flagship, ARCH Venture Partners. For more information, please visit the company's website at www.agios.com.
Contact:
Agios Pharmaceuticals
Yates Public Relations
Kathryn Morris
845-635-9828
