Halozyme Therapeutics Presents Pre-Clinical Studies of Systemic Delivery of Pegylated rHuPH20 Enyzme in Prostate Cancer Models at American Association for Cancer Research ...( - New Approach to Targeting...),Health

- New Approach to Targeting the Tumor Microenvironment -

SAN DIEGO, April 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: HALO), a biopharmaceutical company developing and commercializing products targeting the extracellular matrix, today announced new pre-clinical findings on the treatment of prostate cancer models at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) conference. Halozyme is investigating its Pegylated-rHuPH20 enzyme (PEGrHuPH20) as a candidate for the systemic treatment of tumors rich in hyaluronan (HA) in combination with chemotherapy.

The studies explored the physiologic responses to enzymatic removal of HA-based matrices surrounding tumor cells in the tumor microenvironment of prostate tumors following systemic administration of its PEGrHuPH20 pre-clinical candidate. In animal pharmacokinetic models, PEGrHuPH20 demonstrated a more than 2,000-fold increase in plasma half-life compared to the unmodified enzyme. Prostate tumors were grown around the bone as a model of elevated interstitial fluid pressure (IFP). Treatment commenced when tumors had reached approximately 500 mm3 in size and pressure within the tumor had reached 30-40 mm Hg.

The objectives of these studies were to determine whether HA-dependent pericellular matrices produced in vitro and in vivo by hormone refractory prostate cancer cell line could be enzymatically depleted in prostate carcinoma xenografts following intravenous (IV) administration of the PEGrHuPH20 enzyme. The dose dependent effects of systemic enzyme treatment were evaluated by a combination of direct micropressure measurements, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound, immunohistochemistry, and determination of tumor water content. A summa
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