SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - August 27, 2015) - Resverlogix Corp.'s first-in-class, epigenetics-based drug candidate is embarking on a Phase 3 trial of RVX-208, a bromodomain inhibitor. In this interview with The Life Sciences Report, President and CEO Donald McCaffrey explains why he thinks RVX-208 will likely be a blockbuster due to its ability to significantly reduce major adverse cardiac events (MACE) -- death, heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure, particularly in diabetic patients.
The Life Sciences Report: Epigenetics is generally considered a hot new field in life sciences, even though the science has been in research labs for decades. What has brought it to the forefront today, and where do you see it heading in the next five to ten years?
Don McCaffrey: Two development waves have brought epigenetics to the forefront. There are three basic elements in epigenetics: readers, writers and erasers. The writers and erasers are the first development wave, which has recently matured. Writers and erasers involve chemical-to-chemical interactions, which basically add or subtract a chemical compound to or from the histone tail. Some of the writers and erasers -- histone acetyltransferases (HATs), transmethylases and others -- have recently been successful in controlling toxicology issues while showing some efficacy results. This is especially true in immunology and oncology, which is one of the reasons we are hearing more about epigenetics now.
The second and newest development in epigenetics involves readers. These are protein-to-protein interactions utilizing bromodomain inhibition. We are mainly hearing more about epigenetic mechanisms because of bromodomain inhibition -- specifically, bromodomain 4 (BRD4). About three years ago Nobel laureate James Watson wrote his first solo paper since 1972. It focused on BRD4, which is our exact target. Watson called BRD4 the most important breakthrough in medical research since he, Francis Crick and others discovered the structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). That's pretty profound, and we agree with him.
When Watson wrote that article, he said he hoped to see BRD4 in human clinical trials within 18 months. At the time, we had been in the clinic for five years with RVX-208 (apabetalone). We discovered this compound in-house and had kept it very quiet until that article was published. After Watson's publication, we went public with RVX-208's mechanism of action.
TLSR: Does that mean Resverlogix Corp. (TSX: RVX) was one of the first companies to enter epigenetics?
DM: We were the first company in the area of bromodomain readers, using protein-to-protein interactions to inhibit BRD4.
RVX-208 is the most advanced BRD4 inhibitor clinical program in the world. We focus on cardiovascular and chronic indications for bromodomains, making this the only bromodomain, to our knowledge, that is in Phase 2 or 3 outside the field of oncology.
Continue reading this interview: Disrupting Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease with Epigenetics: Resverlogix CEO Donald McCaffrey
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DISCLOSURE:
Resverlogix Corp. is a sponsor of The Life Sciences Report. Resverlogix Corp., represented by Donald McCaffrey, had final approval of the content of the interview and is wholly responsible for the validity of the statements. Opinions expressed are the opinions of Mr. McCaffrey and not of The Life Sciences Report or its officers.