Apexian Pharmaceuticals

Apex Therapeutics develops and commercializes pharmaceuticals for the treatment of cancer and ocular diseases.

ApeX Therapeutics is an emerging clinical stage biotechnology company founded on the scientific discoveries of Dr. Mark R. Kelley, whose groundbreaking work on APE1/Ref-1 redox protein signaling at the Indiana University School of Medicine has provided unique insight into this novel biological target. ApeX Therapeutics has leveraged this deep scientific expertise to discover molecules that specifically target and inhibit the APE1/Ref-1 redox signaling and DNA repair protein pathway. Inhibitors of the Ref-1 have been shown to broadly affect several transcription factors involved in cancer cell signaling and survival, and ApeX Therapeutics’ lead APE1/Ref-1 inhibitor, APX3330, is representative of this novel class of compounds, having shown dramatic efficacy against pre-clinical models of pancreatic cancer. The preliminary testing of human safety and non-cancer efficacy of APX3330 was established by Eisai pharmaceuticals in a previously conducted development program targeting chronic liver disease, where the compound was safely administered across a variety of doses. ApeX Therapeutics will utilize this information to begin anti-cancer testing of APX3330 in human clinical studies planned to begin in 2015.