In a new set of studies performed by Pannex Therapeutics, an outstanding tumor growth inhibition and superior efficacy in inhibiting metastasis was shown in an animal model of stage IV triple-negative breast cancer in mice. This type of breast cancer affects 13 to 20% of the diagnosed women, and is highly aggressive, with less than 12% of survival after 5 years.

The company’s CEO, David Bravo, explains: «In July last year we began several laboratory invitro studies, using a human triple-negative breast cancer cell line, testing the efficacy of our candidates Panx1 channel blockers and looking at several cancer features, in order to screen them and select the top six candidates, with the best results».

The best performing six drugs then underwent in vivo testing. «We performed studies using a mice model of triple negative breast cancer, demonstrating that our drugs inhibit tumor growth by 80% in most of the treated animals unlike those receiving only a placebo,» Bravo comments.

However, David Bravo has more exciting results to report. «In the next study, we measured the inhibition of metastasis (the spread of the cancer to different organs) in a stage IV (last stage) human breast cancer animal model which resembles a very aggressive cancer type. By labeling the tumor cells with a marker, we were able to track the spread of the cancer through the body of the animals, and 5 out of 6 of our novel drug candidates showed an average 90% reduction in metastasis from the initial tumor to the lungs, liver and brain,» says the CEO of Pannex.

“These results are highly relevant, considering that metastasis is responsible for about 90% of cancer deaths. Our drugs have the potential to stop the tumor growth and the spreading throughout the patient body, and save countless lives”, states the company’s CEO.

The next steps for the company are the selection of the three best compounds and to optimize and improve them, and then to repeat these studies, to choose the compound with the best results. The best compound will then enter into a preclinical study program to generate the data needed to get the permission of FDA to start first clinical studies in humans early 2026.

«Moreover, the animals treated with the drug candidates did not show signs of toxicty pointing to a good safety profile, but this needs to be confirmed in more animal experiments and clinical studies,» concludes David.