A Non-Formula Commonwealth Universal Research Enhancement (CURE) Program grant in the amount of $832,608 was awarded to Apogee to support preclinical research on Apogee’s phase I clinical drug, ABC294640. The funds will support research to determine the optimum treatment protocols for the combination of ABC294640 with current standard of care drugs for pancreatic cancer. ABC294640 is currently being evaluated in a phase I clinical trial for cancer as a single agent, and the PA CURE funds will provide an important bridge to clinical testing of new drug combinations in this cancer with a high unmet need for effective therapies. The award was presented to Dr. Charles D. Smith, President and CEO of Apogee, and Dr. Lynn W. Maines, Vice President for Research and Business Affairs, at the Hershey Center for Applied Research in Hershey, PA, where Apogee is headquartered.
The CURE program funds health research with the purpose of discovering new scientific knowledge to help improve the health of all Pennsylvanians. These competitive grants focus on specific research priorities established and reviewed by the Department of Health in conjunction with the Health Research Advisory Committee, a panel made up of universities and research institutes. The funds, allocated in the 2011-12 fiscal year, focus on projects that translate the information found within the human genome. The grants support research that commercializes and brings to market new, proven cancer diagnostics or therapeutics.