Shuttle Pharmaceuticals (a US-based pharma company) and POLA Pharma (a dermatology specialty pharma company based in Japan), announced agreement to license the U.S. rights for doranidazole, a hypoxic cell radiation sensitizer, for clinical development in treating cancers in combination with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT).  SBRT is used to deliver large doses of radiation in a few treatments with precise targeting of cancers. Current radiation dose limitations, due to sensitive normal tissues that may surround a tumor, support a role for radiation sensitizers to enhance the effectiveness of radiation. Clinical trials to determination safety and efficacy of the combination of doranidazole and SBRT are proposed for treating patients with pancreatic, lung and liver cancers.

"We believe there is need for improvement in the treatment of pancreatic cancers with radiation. Doranidazole in combination with SBRT offers a clinical and commercial opportunity," said Anatoly Dritschilo, MD and CEO of Shuttle Pharmaceuticals. "Tumors have regions of hypoxia that are considered a source of resistance to radiation therapy, leading to treatment failure and cancer recurrence. We are excited by this opportunity to advance SBRT with a hypoxic cell radiation sensitizer in the setting of personalized treatment of patients with cancers."