PreveCeutical Medical Inc (CSE:PREV) (OTCMKTS:PRVCF) is seeing encouraging preliminary results from its research and development program that is expected to enable the company to generate key Nature Identical™ peptide therapeutics for use in treatments of brain cancer.
The health sciences company is engaged in a study that uses blue scorpion venom-derived peptides to better understand its therapeutic application in cell-based brain cancer models.
READ: PreveCeutical Medical reports successful preliminary screening of key peptides from scorpion venom research program
Preliminary screening in an aggressive brain cancer assay successfully identified four lead peptides that inhibit the activity of a target protein that is found in the progression in certain glioblastomas.
Further screening highlighted the peptide’s ability to inhibit the invasion of glioblastoma cells — an important development given the invasive nature of the cells is a key factor in the aggressive spread of the disease and resulting in poor prognosis.
Research ongoing
The Vancouver-based company said in a statement that although this facet of the screening process is nearing completion, the peptide program is ongoing. According to PreveCeutical, the results have helped to progress the company towards assessing the efficacy of the lead peptides in more sophisticated glioblastoma (brain cancer) research.
PreveCeutical currently has five research and development programs underway, including gene therapy for diabetes and obesity, non-addictive analgesic peptides to replace fentanyl and the like, and soluble drug delivery program, among others.
Shares of PreveCeutical were trading at C$0.07 in Canada and US$0.05 in the US on Wednesday.
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