New Drug Development Offers Pet Cancer Hope

MBF Therapeutics Inc. (MBFT), a development stage veterinary oncology company, and the Philadelphia-based Lankenau Institute for Medical Research (LIMR) have joined forces to support the development of a novel treatment for common aggressive cancers in dogs and cats. MBFT have been developing a drug named MBFT-101, which is described a combination of two drug molecules that act together to kill cancer cells. The intended result of the drug development is a different treatment for dogs and cats that can be taken orally at home for a period of 4 to 6 weeks.

Each of the molecules in  MBFT-101 starves cancer cells of essential nutrients, with no effect on normal cells. One of the molecules is MBF-1569, a proprietary polyamine transport inhibitor, and the other is DFMO, a potent inhibitor of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), for treatment of solid tumors and lymphoma. This mechanism effectively starves tumor cells for essential polyamines.

"Cancer is a devastating disease that affects both humans and animals alike," stated Dr. George Prendergast, LIMR President & CEO. "The Lankenau Institute is very excited about our new, unique relationship with MBF Therapeutics. MBFT will utilize research performed in our laboratories to advance the development of needed, new therapies for our beloved pets while also setting the stage for future studies in humans."

"Together we are able to evaluate MBFT-101 in cats and dogs with natural disease, concurrently with crucial preclinical studies in laboratory animal models," said Thomas Tillett, MBFT President and CEO. "At the same time we are developing these treatments for companion animals, we will advance our understanding of how to effectively treat human cancers," he added, noting that dogs, in particular, are the best animal models for emerging treatments of certain types of human cancers.

A pilot study is underway in which cats with oral squamous cell carcinoma - the most common feline oral cancer - are treated with MBFT-101 by the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania's Veterinary Clinical Investigation Center. Later this year, MBFT will initiate a pilot clinical study using dogs.