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CureFAK to grow as RPCI Spin-off

Premium content from Business First - by Tracey Drury
Date: Friday, July 8, 2011, 6:00am EDT

CureFAKtor Pharmaceuticals LLC has taken the next step in its spin-off life by leasing lab, research and office space at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

Terms of the one-year lease include 300 square feet in the Center for Genetics & Pharmacology, adjacent to the University at Buffalo Center of  Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences.

The company, which spun off from Roswell in 2008, also will rent equipment and resources. That allows it to utilize private investments toward furthering research into drugs to stop the growth of pancreatic and other cancers. The company is led by Dr. William Cance, chairman of surgical oncology at Roswell.

We are so enthusiastic to be over there at Roswell Park, says H. Shep Wild, president and CEO. We are very fortunate to be able to lease some small space from them and have access to all of the amazing equipment that is right there on the site.

In January, the company received orphan drug status from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its lead compound, CFAK-C4. The companys research centers on cutting off blood supply to cancer cells and preventing them from multiplying, while allowing chemotherapy, radiation and other drugs to get through and destroy the cells.

A clinical trial for C4 is expected to begin in 2012. A second drug in the pre-clinical stage, CFAK-Y15, is designed to kill enzymes that drive cancer growth. CureFAKtor expects to file for orphan drug status for that drug, as well. The status is reserved for drugs developed to treat rare medical conditions.

The company presented its findings to researchers and potential funders last month at a European Society for Medical Oncology World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer.

The presentation showcased the companys work to big pharma overseas: Plans call for licensing its compounds to firms in the United States and abroad.