Benzinga | Aug 17, 2021 09:29AM EDT

Lixte Biotech Reports Pre-Clinical Studies In Its Lead Clinical Compound, LB-100, Reduced Behavioral Sensitization Underlying Addiction To Methamphetamine

Lixte Biotechnology Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LIXT) ("Lixte"), a clinical-stage drug discovery company developing pharmacologically active drugs for use in cancer treatment, noted that in pre-clinical studies its lead clinical compound, LB-100, a protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) inhibitor, was reported to reduce behavioral sensitization underlying addiction to methamphetamine (METH). Behavioral sensitization is widely considered a key neurobiological mechanism in drug addiction.

Studies in animal models have shown that dysregulation in the activity of PP2A could be a factor in diseases of the central nervous system, including drug addiction. A recent scientific paper (Shang et al., NeuroReport, April 2021) explains how LB-100, by inhibiting PP2A, blocked METH-induced behavioral sensitization in rodents.

Lixte's Chief Executive Officer, John S. Kovach, M.D., commented, "These findings are the latest in a series of pre-clinical studies demonstrating the impact of LB-100 in various diseases that may benefit from PP2A regulation. While our clinical focus today is on highly aggressive cancers, such data may open doors for future clinical trials of LB-100 for additional indications."

Last month, Lixte commented on outside research citing LB-100's PP2A inhibition as a potential therapeutic strategy for triple-negative breast cancer. This announcement was followed by a report that LB-100, combined with another investigational agent, stimulated bone growth in models of dwarfism.

Lixte's pipeline presently includes clinical studies of LB-100 for myelodysplastic (MDS) syndromes, advanced soft tissue sarcomas (ASTS), small cell lung cancer (SCLC), and glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). The total market for these cancer targets exceeds $5 billion.