Interesting find Chicagoest. Just a few notes. ONT-380 is an orally active, reversible and selective small-molecule HER2 inhibitor invented by Array (ARRY) and licensed to Oncothyreon (ONTY) for development, manufacturing and commercialization. If proven effective in clinical trials, this drug has huge potential. 1) It will be an orally active HER2-inhibitor as opposed to the current Herceptin (trastuzumab) monoclonal antibody therapy that requires injection. 2) ONT-380 crosses the blood brain barrier, so it could not only be used to treat HER2+ breast cancers, but could also be efficacious against brain metastases from HER2+ breast cancer. Followers of Bioasis should take notice of this since one of the Bioasis Transcendpep programs is a Transcendpep-trastuzumab fusion protein that would require injection but deliver trastuzumab across the BBB to treat these HER2+ metastases.

Not much relevance to Zenith or Resverlogix at this point in time, though Zenith may expand into breast cancer in the future. Herceptin/trastuzumab was not listed as one of the drugs that Zenith tested for ZEN-3694 synergy. Resverlogix has hinted at an RVX-208 Alzheimer's trial, but it is unclear if their proposed MOA is via indirect upregulation of apoAI production outside of the brain or via direct effects of RVX-208 on the brain. Furthermore, if RVX/Zenith or any other BET inhibitor company wants to target the brain, then they will also need to show that BRD4 inhibition doesn't cause side effects in the brain as seen for memory formation in mice.

BearDownAZ