Description

Aptose Biosciences Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company, discovers and develops personalized therapies addressing unmet medical needs in oncology in Canada. Its lead clinical program is APTO-253, a small molecule that induces the transcription of the Krüppel-like factor 4 Gene in in vitro studies and in in vivo pharmacodynamic studies of human xenograft tumors in mice. The company’s APTO-253 clinical program has completed Phase-I clinical trials for the treatment of various solid tumors; and Phase-Ib clinical trials for relapsed/refractory hematologic malignancies. It also develops APTO-500 program that focuses on discovering and developing small molecule inhibitors of maternal embryonic leucine zipper kinase; and is in a pre-clinical stage for oncology. It has a license agreement with Genentech Inc. to develop and sub-license a specified polypeptide; and collaboration agreement with Eli Lilly and Company to investigate a proprietary series of the company’s compounds for veterinary medicine. The company was formerly known as Lorus Therapeutics Inc. and changed its name to Aptose Biosciences Inc. in August 2014. Aptose Biosciences Inc. was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Mississauga, Canada.