Category: News

Dallas, Texas April 17, 2023
Etira is pleased to announce that multiple abstracts related to their licensed products showed encouraging preclinical activity in metastatic breast cancer and ovarian cancer. The data, presented at The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting, demonstrate strong efficacy in multiple preclinical models both in vitro and in vivo.

“We are excited by the positive preclinical results for both ERX-208 and ERX-41 recently presented at AACR. Our studies validate our prior finding that targeting LIPA to induce endoplasmic reticulum stress can effectively overcome tumor heterogeneity in ovarian cancer cells,” said Russell Hayward, Chief Executive Officer of Etira. “We are especially encouraged by preclinical data that demonstrates ERX-208 is a highly potent agent against ovarian cancer and can be advanced to clinical trials. We are also excited by the preclinical data supporting the use of a chemically distinct analog TX-245 in metastatic breast cancers driven by the mutant estrogen receptor. These findings support our pipeline of agents for additional indications, as we continue to advance ERX-315 to clinical trials.”

Presentations included:
1. ERX-208 as a novel therapeutic for treating ovarian cancer by enhancing endoplasmic reticulum stress (poster)
Presenter: Suryavathi Viswanadhapalli
Conclusions: The data demonstrated the utility of ERX-208 in ovarian cancer to overcome tumor heterogeneity by targeting LIPA and enhancing endoplasmic reticulum stress leading to apoptosis. ERX-208 reduced the growth of OCa patient derived organoids in vitro, patient derived explants ex vivo and xenografts including patient derived xenografts in vivo. ERX-208 treatment did not show any signs of toxicity at doses administered.

2. Novel LIPA targeted therapy for treating ovarian cancer (poster)
Presenter:Alexia B. Collier
Conclusions: These studies indicate that ERX-41 effectively binds to and targets LIPA, induces endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis of multiple types of ovarian cancer cells. Detailed molecular characterization of how ERX-41 binding to LIPA induces ER stress in OCa cells is ongoing.

3. Targeting the mutant estrogen receptor in metastatic breast cancer (talk)
Presenter:Karla Parra
Conclusions:TX-245, which was designed to bind to the mutant estrogen receptor, effectively inhibits cell proliferation in cell lines that express WT or mutant ESR1, induce ER degradation, suppress ER-mediated signaling and reduce tumor burden in mouse models. Importantly, TX-245 inhibited the progression of metastatic tumors, indicating its potential utility in patients with metastatic breast cancer expressing the mutant estrogen receptor.

About Etira
EtiraRx is a privately owned Dallas-based biotech startup focused on developing the next generation of cancer therapies. EtiraRx is advancing their first small molecule drug, ERX-315, to phase I clinical trials later this year for patients with metastatic breast cancer.

Learn more at www.etiraRx.com
contact@etirarx.com

April 18, 2023 Dallas, Texas

We are excited to congratulate one of our founders, Dr. Ratna Vadlamudi, Professor and Vice Chair for Research, Division of Reproductive Research, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Long School of Medicine, who received the prestigious 2023 Presidential Distinguished Research Scholar Award. The Presidential Awards ceremony, held April 17 at the Betty Kelso Center at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens, recognized 15 individuals with awards given in the areas of distinguished research scholar, clinical excellence, teaching excellence (emerging and sustained) and employee excellence.

Established in 1985, the Presidential Awards recognize exemplary performance by individuals who consistently excel in their positions and demonstrate a strong commitment to the mission and core values of UT Health San Antonio. The annual awards provide the university the opportunity to recognize outstanding faculty, staff and team contributions. The award recipients received a plaque, a monetary gift and a congratulatory Senate Proclamation from the State of Texas by Senator José Menéndez.

Congratulations Dr. Vadlamudi! A well deserved honor

Presidential Awards

https://news.uthscsa.edu/2023-presidential-awards-recipients-recognized-at-ceremony/

http://news.uthscsa.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Smaller-version.pdf

Dallas, Texas Dec 9, 2022:
Etira is pleased to report the abstract related to ERX-41 validating its activity in Triple negative breast cancer was presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS). The SABCS is one of the world’s largest breast cancer meetings driven by a diversity of thought leadership in breast oncology advancements where translational research is paired with clinical practice to better understand and treat breast cancer.
The poster titled “LIPA as a novel therapeutic vulnerability for treating TNBC” presented by Dr. Suryavathi Viswanadhapalli detailed the discovery of ERX-41 as a new therapeutic agent, its molecular target LIPA and its mechanism of action via disruption of protein folding and induction of ER stress.

About Etira
EtiraRx is a privately owned Dallas-based biotech startup focused on developing the next generation of cancer therapies. EtiraRx is advancing their first small molecule drug, ERX-315, to phase I clinical trials later this year for patients with metastatic breast cancer.

Learn more at www.etiraRx.com
contact@etirarx.com

etiraRx’s lead drug candidate, ERX-41 has been highlighted in the most recent edition of Oncology Times. In an article entitled “Molecule Targets Vulnerability in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer,” Dibash Kumar Das, PhD, summarizes the findings published in the recent Nature Cancer article “Targeting LIPA independent of its lipase activity is a therapeutic strategy in solid tumors via induction of endoplasmic reticulum stress” and interviews co-author Jung-Mo Ahn, PhD, Associate Professor of Chemistry at The University of Texas at Dallas.

You can read the full article at https://journals.lww.com/oncology-times/fulltext/2022/10050/molecule_targets_vulnerability_in_triple_negative.13.aspx

Following the publication of the article “Targeting LIPA independent of its lipase activity is a therapeutic strategy in solid tumors via induction of endoplasmic reticulum stress” in Nature Cancer, from the lab of etiraRx co-founder Ganesh Raj, scientific news media was quick to pick up on this major breakthrough in cancer research. In the paper, ERX-41 demonstrates “a large therapeutic window, with no adverse effects either on normal mammary epithelial cells or in mice,” potentially providing a route to treating previously untreatable solid cancers, such as triple-negative breast cancer.

A selection of the news articles which have picked up on the story are below.

EurekAlert!: Promising compound kills range of hard-to-treat cancers by targeting a previously undiscovered vulnerability

Yahoo!: EtiraRx’s Licensed ERX-41 Identified as a Potential New Oral Therapy for Multiple Cancers, Company Prepares for Clinical Trials

KAIT-TV: EtiraRx’s Licensed ERX-41 Identified as a Potential New Oral Therapy for Multiple Cancers, Company Prepares for Clinical Trials

News-medical.net: New compound shows promise to kill a range of hard-to-treat cancer types

News-medical.net: New molecule kills a broad spectrum of hard-to-treat cancers

Good News Network: Protein Destroys ‘Hard to Treat’ Cancers, Could Become ‘One Size Fits All’ Pill

Interesting Engineering: Scientists discovered a new molecule that kills even the deadliest cancer

MedicalXpress: Promising compound kills range of hard-to-treat cancers by targeting a previously undiscovered vulnerability

Bioengineer.org: Promising compound kills range of hard-to-treat cancers by targeting a previously undiscovered vulnerability

Mirage News: Promising compound kills range of hard-to-treat cancers by targeting previously undiscovered vulnerability

ScienMag: Promising compound kills range of hard-to-treat cancers by targeting a previously undiscovered vulnerability

Ticker Tech: EtiraRx’s Licensed ERX-41 Identified as a Potential New Oral Therapy for Multiple Cancers, Company Prepares for Clinical Trials

DALLAS, June 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — A scientific team, led by the scientific founders of EtiraRx, has identified a small molecule, ERX-41, as a novel oral therapeutic agent that may have utility in treating multiple solid cancers, including triple negative breast cancer, glioblastoma, ovarian and pancreatic cancers. EtiraRx, headquartered in Biolabs Pegasus Park, plans to initiate clinical trials as early as the first quarter of 2023.

In the work, published in Nature Cancer, the researchers, led by Drs. Jung-Mo Ahn, Ganesh Raj and Ratna Vadlamudi, identified that ERX-41 dramatically enhances endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in cancer cells. Since aggressive cancer cells have higher basal levels of ER stress, the enhanced ER stress induced by ERX-41 is not compensated and causes cancer cell death. Normal cells have low basal of ER stress, can compensate for ERX-41 activity and do not undergo cell death after ERX-41 treatment. Using state-of-the-art molecular approaches, the team identified that the molecular target of ERX-41 is the protein encoded by the lysosomal acid lipase A (LIPA) gene and that pharmacologic inhibition of LIPA by ERX-41 enhances ER stress in cancer cells. The study set the foundation for clinical trials with patients with therapy-resistant cancers that are vulnerable to enhanced ER stress.

Said Dr. Raj, “These discoveries are exciting as they represent a novel approach to targeting the Achilles heel of many aggressive cancers- their vulnerability to enhanced ER stress. Our critical finding was that of a new therapeutic target (LIPA) and its undiscovered role in protein folding. By targeting LIPA with ERX-41, protein folding in the cancer cell was disrupted, causing ER stress and promoting cancer cell death. Our findings indicate the potential for an oral agent with a favorable therapeutic index to effectively treat patients with aggressive cancers, for whom options are limited.”

EtiraRx is completing necessary preclinical studies and plans to initiate clinical trials with these compounds, which will take place the first quarter of 2023. Russell Hayward, CEO EtiraRx, said, “ERX-41 has the potential to be a first-in-class oral therapy that kills aggressive therapy-resistant cancers. We are committed to moving these drugs forward to clinical trials and make a difference in the lives of patients with lethal cancers.”

To access the complete paper from EtiraRx, please visit Nature Cancer at  https://www.nature.com/articles/s43018-022-00389-8

About EtiraRx
EtiraRx is a Dallas-based company is committed to developing cures. EtiraRx was founded in 2018 and is headquartered in Pegasus Park.  For more information go to https://www.etirarx.com

Media Contact:
Doug Haslam
Berry & Company Public Relations
dhaslam@berrypr.com