On behalf of the Cure Cancer Foundation and the World’s Longest Games, we are thrilled to share that Pacylex Pharmaceuticals has been recognized as BioAlberta’s Company of the Year. This recognition is largely due to their groundbreaking zelenirstat drug trial, which was partially funded by donations from the 2019 World’s Longest Baseball Game and the 2021 World’s Longest Hockey Game. To everyone who contributed to these events, we extend our deepest gratitude—this achievement would not have been possible without your support.
The 2024 BioAlberta Achievement Awards celebrate individuals and companies whose innovations have significantly advanced Alberta’s life sciences sector. The awards were presented on September 26th at BioAlberta’s Annual Health and Life Sciences Showcase & Awards Ceremony in Calgary.
About Zelenirstat (Pacylex’s Drug Trial)
Zelenirstat is a drug taken orally developed to treat leukemia, lymphoma, and solid tumours when used as an ADC payload. It has been shown to kill cancer cells in vitro selectively. It has demonstrated promising results in animal trials slowing the growth of lung and breast cancer tumours.
Pacylex recently completed a Phase 1 trial to eveluate the safety and tolerability of zelenirstat in patients with lymphoma and solid tumours. The drug showed an acceptable safety profile, supported once-daily dosing, and exhibited early signs of efficacy.
Zelenirstat is currently being studied in a Phase 2a open-label study.
Funding Support
Dr. John Mackey, an oncologist involved in the research, said:
“The funding from the World’s Longest Games and the Cure Cancer Foundation was critical for Pacylex to complete our first trial of zelenirstat. This amazing community effort let us show a new class of drugs is safe, and can help people with cancer. Because of this success, we have the foundation to launch the next trials on the path to bring zelenirstat into the clinic, and hopefully, to eventually help our own community achieve better cancer outcomes.”
Pacylex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Pacylex) is a clinical-stage company developing small-molecule N-myristoyl transferase inhibitors (NMTis) as targeted therapies for hematologic (blood) cancers and as payloads for antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) in treatment of solid tumours.
Congratulations, Pacylex, on this incredible achievement!
