Toronto, Ontario – April 6, 2017
Theralase Technologies Inc. (“Theralase®” or the “Company”) (TLT:TSXV) (TLTFF:OTC), a leading biotech company focused on the commercialization of medical lasers to eliminate pain and the development of Photo Dynamic Compounds (“PDCs”) to destroy cancer, announced today that its latest research has been accepted for peer reviewed publication, demonstrating that a new class of anti-cancer PDCs based on the metal Osmium (“Os”) may be very effective in the destruction of cancer.
A new publication entitled, “Novel Osmium-Based Coordination Complexes as Photosensitizers for Panchromatic Photodynamic Therapy” has recently been accepted for publication in Photochemistry and Photobiology, the official journal of the American Society of Photobiology.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/php.12767/epdf
Researchers from: Theralase; Acadia University, Department of Chemistry; the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; the University of Toronto, Department of Medical Biophysics and Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network (“UHN”) collaborated on the publication.
Theralase’s lead PDC, TLD-1433, is based on the metal Ruthenium (“Ru”) and is currently under clinical investigation in a Phase Ib clinical study for Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer (“NMIBC”) at UHN.
This latest research demonstrates that Theralase’s next generation of Os based PDCs possess all and more of the significant characteristics of TLD-1433.
Cancer remains a major global issue requiring the advent of new, efficient and affordable treatments.
Photo Dynamic Therapy (“PDT”), which uses a light activated photosensitizer (“PS”) to produce Reactive Oxygen Species (“ROS”) in sufficient quantities to destroy cancer cells, has been established as an effective cancer treatment.
One of the current limitations of PDT technologies; however, has been the scarcity of PSs that can be activated over a wide range of wavelengths, to allow treatment at various tissue depths, and produce few, if any side effects. To address this shortcoming, three Os-based PSs were synthesized and their characteristics determined. Findings indicate that these PSs are able to be activated from Ultra Violet (“UV”) to Near InfraRed (“NIR”) light allowing for tissue penetrations from microns up to centimeters.
This new class of PDCs also have a strong resistance to photobleaching (ability to remain active in tissue until the cancer cells of interest have been destroyed) allowing for high energy, repeated laser irradiations of large tumour volumes, to systematically destroy cancerous tumours section by section, while minimizing effects to nearby healthy tissues.
Petri dish cell studies have demonstrated that these Os PSs have longer wavelength activation and efficacy in red and NIR light, in both normoxic (normal oxygen) and hypoxic (low oxygen) conditions, making them highly suitable for destruction of solid core cancer tumours, which generally present with hypoxic cores.
Previous Ru-based PSs, such as TLD-1433, have been able to be activated by red and NIR laser light, when combined with transferrin, but are more suitable when activated by blue and green laser light, relegating their use in clinical applications to superficial tumours, such as NMIBC.
The modular chemistry involved in synthesizing both the Ru and Os PSs is amenable to the preparation of large libraries of PDC platforms for targeting various cancer cells with high efficacy and low overall toxicity to healthy tissues.
Moreover, it has been demonstrated in this research that Os is a viable metal for building new therapeutic molecules despite the pervasive notion that Os is too toxic for clinical applications.
Dr. Arkady Mandel, MD, Phd, D.Sc., Chief Scientific Officer of Theralase stated that, “The latest published research supports the theory that Os PSs are well indicated to treat solid tumours, particularly when red or NIR light excitation is required to illuminate the entire tumour volume, such as brain cancers. Importantly, this is the first class of metal-based PSs that exhibit a direct panchromatic (activated by a wide spectrum of wavelengths) absorption from UV to NIR activation for PDT. For the first time, it may be possible to tune treatment depth to tumour invasion depth using a single PS, in which a single administration of the PS, followed by extended light administration (that could last several days) would enable the safest and most effective patient treatment outcomes.”
Roger Dumoulin-White, President and CEO of Theralase stated that, “Our scientific and biological teams, in collaboration with our chemistry and clinical research partners, utilize a methodical process to research and develop PDCs, such as this new class of Os PDCs. Theralase prides itself on combining the immense knowledge and understanding of all of its multi-disciplined teams and partners to research and develop PDCs, and the laser systems that activate them, in the quest to destroy a wide range of cancerous tumours.”
About Theralase Technologies Inc.
Theralase Technologies Inc. (“Theralase®” or the “Company”) (TSXV: TLT) (TLTFF: OTC) in its Therapeutic Laser Technology (“TLT”) Division designs, manufactures, markets and distributes patented super-pulsed laser technology indicated for the treatment of chronic knee pain and in off-label use the elimination of pain, reduction of inflammation and dramatic acceleration of tissue healing for numerous nerve, muscle and joint conditions. Theralase’s Photo Dynamic Therapy (“PDT”) Division researches and develops
specially designed molecules called Photo Dynamic Compounds (“PDCs”), which are able to localize to cancer cells and then when laser light activated, effectively destroy them.
Additional information is available at www.theralase.com and www.sedar.com .
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For More Information:
Roger Dumoulin-White
President & CEO
1.866.THE.LASE (843-5273) ext. 225
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