OTTAWA, Oct. 31 /CNW Telbec/ - PharmaGap Inc. (TSX-V: GAP) ("PharmaGap" or "the Company"), a Canadian biotechnology company, today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center ("Sloan-Kettering"). Sloan-Kettering researchers, led by Dr. Gary K. Schwartz, will study PharmaGap's novel preclinical cancer drug, PhGalpha1, in a series of collaborative in vitro and in vivo (animal) studies to assess its efficacy and potency as a specific inhibitor of protein kinase C alpha ("PKCalpha"). PKCalpha, which is a major component of cellular signal transduction pathways, is expressed in many types of tumors, including colorectal cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, breast cancer and certain gastric cancers and therefore represents a new target for cancer therapy.  

The first series of in vitro testing at Sloan-Kettering will assess the use of PhGalpha1 in colon, breast and gastric cancer as single agent therapy and as combination therapy with widely used chemotherapeutic agents (the current standards of care). PhGalpha1 is directed towards finding new ways to kill cancer cells and overcome the process by which tumor cells become resistant to chemotherapy (a major cause of cancer drug failure).  

The Sloan-Kettering studies will provide the Company with peer reviewed preclinical data that will in part be used for a submission, anticipated in late 2007, to U.S. and Canadian drug regulators to test PhGalpha1 in human patients. Sloan-Kettering is an acknowledged leader in testing and developing novel targeted therapies for treating cancer, some of which have lower toxicities than current chemotherapy. Sloan-Kettering is located in New York, NY.

Robert McInnis, President of PharmaGap said, "This is a strong validation by a major U.S. cancer centre of our unique drug discovery platform targeting PKC isoforms of therapeutic interest. We are delighted that a prestigious institution like Sloan-Kettering, with a global reputation as a leader in innovative cancer diagnosis, treatment and research, has determined that the novel attributes and potential benefit of our lead drug candidate, PhGalpha1, merit assessment. It is our intent that data generated from these studies will be shared with other cancer researchers and our colleagues in the global pharmaceutical industry at the appropriate time."

Dr. Gary Schwartz, who will lead the study program at Sloan-Kettering, is an acknowledged leader in PKC cell signalling research in cancer treatment and has studied PKC inhibitors as potential cancer treatment for over 18 years. He has published numerous academic papers in the field and has been granted two U.S. patents on PKC inhibition for cancer treatment. Dr. Schwartz, Chief, melanoma and sarcoma Service for Sloan-Kettering's Department of Medicine's division of Solid Tumor oncology, is a medical oncologist specializing in the identification and development of new targeted drugs for cancer therapy, specifically aimed at understanding the mechanisms underlying the cell cycle and cell death, and the role that proteins, including protein kinases, play in these mechanisms. He is a Member and Attending Physician at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Professor of Medicine at Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York. He is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology's (ASCO) Scientific Program and Cancer Education Committees and has served as the American Association of Cancer Researcher's (AACR) co-Chairperson for the Program Committee on Translational Research in Molecular Biology. Dr. Schwartz is also an Editorial Board Member of the Journal of Clinical Oncology and an Associate Editor of Clinical Cancer Research.

About PharmaGap Inc.

PharmaGap Inc. (TSX-V: GAP), based in Ottawa, ON, is a biotechnology company with a core focus on developing novel therapeutic compounds for the treatment of cancer. PharmaGap's research platform targets cellular signaling pathways controlled by Protein Kinase C (PKC) isoforms. PharmaGap's lead drug compound, PhGalpha1, is in preclinical development and targets PKCalpha. The Company's strategy is to out-license drug compounds to larger life sciences companies at the preclinical stage. For more information please visit the Company's website at www.pharmagap.com.

Note: The TSX Venture Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No Securities Commission or other regulatory authority having jurisdiction over PharmaGap has approved or disapproved of the information contained herein.  This release contains forward looking statements that may not occur or may change materially.

Source: CNW Group (newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/October2006/31/c6331.html)