Oncorx Pharmaceuticals is an early-stage pharmaceutical company developing high-affinity drugs that selectively target the P-glycoprotein/CD44/Integrin β1 protein complex that is overexpressed on the surface of therapy-resistant tumors. Activation of α5β1 integrin plays an important role in regulating cytoskeletal reorganization, F-actin polarization, the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, anchorage-independent tumor cell growth, and tumor cell apoptosis. Currently available cancer therapies are targeted to primary, untransformed tumor cells and are not effective in treating resistant transformed tumors that have entirely different cell surface receptor targets and actin cytoskeletal organization. Oncorx is developing oncology drugs that not only target resistant tumors, but also effectively penetrate the blood-brain-barrier to reach the tumor sanctuary in the brain. Numerous clinical studies have demonstrated that patient survival is strongly dependent upon the time it takes for tumors to reach the brain from their primary site in the body.
