Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure (ABC2) Awards Grant to Tocagen Inc.
Grant will support Clinical Advancement for Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) Treatment
WASHINGTON, DC., – (October 26, 2009) — Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure (ABC2), a non-profit foundation dedicated to accelerating therapies for the treatment of brain cancer, announced today it has awarded a grant to Tocagen Inc. The grant will help support the clinical development of Tocagen’s novel investigational treatment for patients with recurrent Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), a rapidly fatal form of brain cancer. The amount of the grant was undisclosed.
“Tocagen is exactly the type of new company we are interested in supporting,” said Max Wallace, CEO of ABC2, “In our review of their program, the pre-clinical efficacy data is impressive, and could represent a promising new approach for GBM patients. We are pleased to help support Tocagen’s clinical advancement of a treatment for GBM patients who have limited therapeutic alternatives.”
Tocagen’s investigational treatment for GBM is designed to deliver a prodrug-activator gene to brain cancer cells. Subsequently the patient swallows prodrug tablets and the prodrug-activator gene in the cancer cells converts the prodrug into a potent anti-cancer drug.
About Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure
The ABC2 approach to finding a cure for brain cancer is based on the belief that a nimble, focused and aggressive entrepreneurial model will increase the number of therapies discovered and then enable those therapies to be more rapidly driven into the clinic. We fund novel translational research aimed at finding the fastest possible route to a cure and provide researchers with the pivotal support they need to make critical breakthroughs. Please visit www.abc2.org for additional information.
About Tocagen Inc.
Tocagen is a biopharmaceutical company pursuing the discovery, development and commercialization of products for the treatment of cancer. Tocagen is initially focusing on treatments for patients with very advanced cancer for whom it believes no adequate treatment currently exists. Please visit www.Tocagen.com for additional information.
Forward-Looking Statements
The statements contained in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements in this press release include statements regarding expectations, beliefs, hopes, goals, intentions, initiatives or strategies. Because these forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, there are important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. The development of product candidates could be affected by a number of factors, including unexpected safety, efficacy or manufacturing issues, additional time requirements for data analyses and decision making, the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation, the impact of competitive products and pricing and the impact of patents and other proprietary rights held by competitors and other third parties.
The information in this press release is as of the date of this document. Neither ABC2 nor Tocagen Inc. assumes any obligations to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as the result of new information or future events or developments.
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Tocagen Media Contact:
Rob WyseCommunications Director
(212) 920-1470
[email protected]
www.Tocagen.com