MAX BioPharma Announces Key Update on its Oxysterol Therapeutics™ Development Program: Publication of Evidence for Oxysterols that Inhibit Hedgehog Signaling, a Tumorigenic Cellular Pathway

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 8, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- MAX BioPharma, Inc. (www.maxbiopharma.com)announced today that it published the first evidence that specific oxysterols inhibit Hedgehog (Hh) signaling via a mechanism unlike that of Smoothened (Smo) antagonists.  The results of multiple pre-clinical studies were accepted for publication in the Journal of Cellular Biochemistry, a prestigious peer-reviewed journal.  The company has found that unlike other commercialized Hh pathway inhibitors, including FDA approved drugs vismodegib (Erivedge) and sonidegib (Odomzo) that target a specific receptor, Smo, on tumor cells and cells in the tumor microenvironment, certain oxysterols inhibit the oncogenic Hh pathway through distinct mechanisms that target steps downstream of Smo.  Farhad Parhami, PhD, MBA, Founder and President of MAX BioPharma, commented that, "Because of this more effective inhibitory mechanism of action, we believe that our proprietary oxysterols will be robustly effective in inhibiting Hh signaling in tumors that use the pathway to grow and metastasize."  A number of human malignancies have been associated with unregulated activation of Hh signaling, including pancreatic cancer, leukemia, multiple myeloma and brain cancer.  As part of its Oxysterol Therapeutics™ platform technology, the company is moving forward with development of its proprietary oxysterols that act as potent inhibitors of Hh signaling and tumor cell growth.  William Matsui, MD, Co-Founder of MAX BioPharma and Professor of Oncology at the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, commented that, "This finding could very well change our fundamental understanding of the Hh pathway, and how to target it for oncology applications.  The therapeutic potential is vast, and we are excited to continue our development." 

About MAX BioPharma, Inc.

MAX BioPharma is a privately-held preclinical stage California-based biopharmaceutical company that is developing novel small molecule lipids as candidates for therapeutic development into future drugs for debilitating and fatal human diseases.  The company will be a leader in a new field of "Oxysterol Therapeutics™" by leveraging a robust and growing intellectual property portfolio that will lead to treatments for numerous indications.  MAX BioPharma's first success based on small molecule lipids has contributed to the discovery of novel osteogenic oxysterol compounds that target multipotent mesenchymal cells, including mesenchymal stem cells, to induce the formation of bone-forming osteoblasts and bone.  The company is translating this technology into the next generation of therapeutic agents for stimulation of bone formation, locally and systemically, in indications such as spinal fusion, non-union fractures, and osteoporosis.  MAX BioPharma is also pursuing the development of small molecule oxysterols that function as Hh pathway antagonists that will be more effective than currently known Hh pathway antagonists in treating a variety of Hedgehog pathway-related cancers, including pancreatic cancer and multiple myeloma.  For more information please visit us at www.maxbiopharma.com

Media Contact: Jason Rifkin
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SOURCE MAX BioPharma

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