On January 5, 2017 RedHill Biopharma Ltd. (NASDAQ:RDHL) (TASE:RDHL) ("RedHill" or the "Company"), a specialty biopharmaceutical company primarily focused on the development and commercialization of late clinical-stage, proprietary, orally administered, small molecule drugs for gastrointestinal and inflammatory diseases and cancer, reported the signing of a new collaboration agreement with the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics of Denmark-based Aarhus University ("AU") for the evaluation of RedHill’s Phase II-stage oncology drug candidate, MESUPRON (upamostat) (Press release, RedHill Biopharma, JAN 5, 2017, View Source [SID1234517280]).

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MESUPRON, a proprietary, first-in-class, orally administered protease inhibitor with several potential mechanisms of action to inhibit tumor invasion and metastasis, presents a new non-cytotoxic approach to cancer therapy. In 2014 RedHill acquired the exclusive worldwide development and commercialization rights to MESUPRON, excluding China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao, from Germany’s WILEX AG for all indications. Wilex AG completed several clinical studies with MESUPRON for different indications, including two Phase II proof-of-concept studies, one for pancreatic cancer and one for metastatic breast cancer.

Terry Plasse, MD, RedHill’s Medical Director said: "To date, the collaboration with Aarhus University has led to findings with MESUPRON on the structure activity relationships between its active metabolite UK-1 and proteases, an established family of molecular targets with therapeutic potential in oncology indications. Previous non-clinical trials conducted in Denmark with Aarhus University have identified multiple proteases, which may be more sensitive to MESUPRON than the originally proposed target, uPA. We hope that further evaluation of MESUPRON, together with Aarhus University, will enable the optimal selection of appropriate patients toward demonstrating the activity of MESUPRON in forthcoming planned clinical trials."

The Non-clinical studies with MESUPRON are intended to support the clinical data from previous Phase I and Phase II studies, and may allow RedHill to take a precision medicine approach going forward.

About MESUPRON:
MESUPRON is a proprietary, first-in-class, orally administered protease inhibitor. Protease inhibitors, including urokinase-type plasminogen activators (uPa), have been shown to play key roles in tumor invasion and the metastasis process. High levels of certain proteases, including uPA, are associated with poor prognosis in various solid tumor cancers, such as pancreatic, gastric, breast and prostate cancers. MESUPRON presents a promising new non-cytotoxic approach to cancer therapy with several potential mechanisms of action to inhibit both tumor metastasis and growth. MESUPRON has undergone several Phase I studies and two Phase II proof-of-concept studies. The first Phase II study was in locally advanced, unresectable pancreatic cancer and the second study in metastatic breast cancer in combination with first-line chemotherapeutic agents.