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Acceleron Pharma Inc. in Cambridge said collaborators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have presented preclinical data showing that its ACE-041 drug candidate, combined with sunitinib, inhibited tumor growth in a renal cell carcinoma model.

The data were presented today at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting in Chicago. The ACE-041, activin-receptor like kinase 1 receptor ligand trap, when used in combination with sunitinib, inhibited tumor growth in a model of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-inhibitor-resistant renal cell carcinoma.

“There is increasing evidence that combining anti-angiogenesis inhibitors with distinct mechanisms of action, such as a VEGF inhibitor with an ALK1 ligand trap, like ACE-041, can more effectively inhibit tumor angiogenesis,” Dr. Matthew Sherman, Acceleron’s chief medical officer, said in a statement. He added that the approach holds great promise, and that the company will pursue Phase 2 studies of ACE-041 in combination with VEGF inhibitors later this year.

Anti-angiogenesis therapies, including the VEGF-inhibitor sunitinib, are currently the standard of care in metastatic renal cell carcinoma. The treatments cause tumor shrinkage and extend progression-free survival in many patients, but the responses are typically short-lived due to the development of drug resistance, according to Acceleron. The preclinical data presented by Dr. Rupal Bhatt, assistant professor of hematology-oncology at Beth Israel, show that combining two distinct anti-angiogenic drugs, a VEGF inhibitor and ACE-041, may produce an enhanced therapeutic effect in treating metastatic renal cell carcinoma, the company said.

Acceleron is a privately-held biopharmaceutical company focused on developing protein therapeutics for orphan diseases and cancer. Last December it took in a $30 million investment from Celgene Corp. of New Jersey and its cadre of existing backers, including Advanced Technology Ventures, Alkermes, Avalon Ventures, Bessemer Ventures, Flagship Ventures, MPM BioEquities, OrbiMed Advisors, Polaris Ventures, QVT Financial, Sutter Hill Ventures, and Venrock.
 

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