EZN-2968 HIF-1 alpha inhibitor Clinical Trial at NIH

[Bonni Hess]

Dear ASPS Community Friends,
A Board member has graciously shared information with me regarding a new Clinical Trial at NIH. I am personally unfamiliar with this Trial and don't have any further information or data about it, but it might be worth exploring if you are interested. The contact person at NIH is Yvonne. Also, there is apparently a planned NIH combination Pazaponib/ARQ-197 Trial that is currrently awaiting FDA approval, but it is still in the approval process.


“We have a trial that we may be able to offer her: a Pilot study called EZN-2968, an antisense oligonucleotide inhibitor of HIF-1 alpha. HIF stands for hypoxia-inducible factor -1 which facilitates the adaptation of normal and tumor tissue to oxygen deprivation. HIF-1 is frequently overexpressed in cancer cells, where it is involved in the upregulation of many gene products essential for invasion, migration, angionegenesis (creation of blood vessels), and survival, including vascular endothelial growth factor. Blocking HIF -1 activity inhibits the expression of VEGF, resulting in the inhibition of tumor growth.

EZN-2968 specifically targets HIF-1 alpha. The premise of the study is that by blocking the HIF-1 alpha, tumor growth would not be able to continue.”

With special caring thoughts and continued Hope,
Bonni