PLYMOUTH, Mich., Nov. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- ProNAi Therapeutics, Inc., a private DNAi cancer drug development company, recently concluded its initial human clinical trial of PNT2258, a first-in-class, nucleic acid drug.  It is presenting the results of the Phase I study of PNT2258, an anti-Bcl-2 cancer drug, at the annual EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics, a conference hosted by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer, the National Cancer Institute and the American Association for Cancer Research.

The company also expanded its management team with the recent appointments of board member and venture capital investor Mina Sooch, MBA, as President and CEO, and Dr. Richard Messmann, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer.

"The encouraging clinical results from our 22 patient study, conducted at START in Texas, showed we can achieve exposure levels in humans that were many times the level needed to achieve anti-tumor effect in animals without significant liver or blood platelet toxicity.  We also demonstrated statistically significant, dose-dependent, and specific knockdown of the Bcl-2 gene with suppression of protein levels up to 60 percent," said Dr. Messmann.  "Patients received the drug for extended periods of time without having material side effects seen with other anti-Bcl-2 drugs or nucleic acid cancer drugs in development.  These results indicate that we can administer the drug either as a single agent or potentially in combination with other anti-cancer drugs without adding patient side effects."

"PNT2258 represents the first of many targeted drugs in ProNAi's portfolio that utilize its emerging DNA interference platform called DNAi," added Sooch.  "We look forward to rapidly expanding PNT2258's clinical development to confirm efficacy in patients with Bcl-2-driven tumors, such as diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.  We also anticipate eventual development into other solid tumors such as cancers of the lung, head and neck, and sarcomas.  ProNAi continues to pursue both venture capital funding and partnerships with pharmaceutical companies to advance these promising potential therapies for cancer.  ProNAi is proud to be a pioneer in nucleic acid therapeutics by overcoming the drug delivery challenges of RNA and DNA based therapies as it has demonstrated safe and effective systemic delivery beyond the liver in humans."

Prior to joining ProNAi, Mina Sooch, who has more than 20 years of experience in pharmaceuticals, healthcare, and M&A after receiving her MBA from Harvard University, helped co-found Apjohn Ventures Fund and several biotech start-ups.  Dr. Messmann, who has over 20 years extensive clinical experience as a medical oncologist and drug-development physician, recently served as Vice President of Medical Affairs for Endocyte [ECYT] where he led the development of vintafolide for ovarian cancer through successful late stage clinical trials.  The executive management team is rounded out by Dr. Wendi Rodrigueza, Chief Scientific Officer (formerly Novartis, Curagen, and Esperion), and ProNAi scientific advisors, led by Dr. Bruce Zetter of Harvard Medical School.

About PNT2258
PNT2258 is a 24-mer, single stranded, chemically unmodified (i.e., native) DNA oligonucleotide sequence called PNT100 encapsulated in a specialized anionic and pH "tunable" liposome.  PNT2258, which is delivered via a 2 hour infusion, has a long half-life of several days allowing it to infiltrate cancer cells, release into the nucleus, and initiate apoptosis by silencing the Bcl-2 target gene.

About ProNAi
ProNAi Therapeutics Inc. is a venture backed biotechnology company based in Plymouth and Kalamazoo, Michigan.  The novel DNAi drug platform is proprietary to ProNAi.  Unlike many RNA products (antisense, RNAi, microRNA, etc) that work in the cytoplasm of a cell, DNAi drugs are designed to target sequences that reside in the non-coding regions of the genome and block transcription in the nucleus, thereby silencing the gene of interest at the source.  DNAi therapeutics have the potential to treat cancer and other genetic diseases with an innovative and targeted approach.

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  These statements are based on management's current expectations and involve significant risks and uncertainties that may cause results to differ materially from those set forth in the statements.

Contact:
Mina Sooch
CEO, ProNAi
248-681-9815
msooch@pronai.com
www.pronai.com

SOURCE ProNAi Therapeutics, Inc.