BIPAR ANNOUNCES START OF CLINICAL TRIAL FOR BSI-201

BiPar Sciences has opened enrollment into a Phase I clinical trial of its lead compound, BSI-201, for patients with advanced malignancies. BSI-201 is the first of a new class of cancer therapies that selectively induces tumor cell death by inhibiting enzyme function central to tumor survival.

BSI-201 is a potent, novel inhibitor of PARP (poly-adenyl-ribose polymerase), an important regulator of gene transcription and DNA repair. In numerous preclinical studies, BSI-201 has been shown to be very well tolerated and exhibited activity against a broad range of tumor types, including but not limited to ovarian, prostate, breast, colon, lung, pancreatic, cervical and bladder.

The open-label, dose-escalation clinical study will be conducted at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, and the Institute for Drug Development in San Antonio, Texas. The trial is designed to confirm safety of the drug in patients and establish a maximum-tolerated dose and pharmacokinetic profile. Data on activity also will be collected.