About Celator
Founded in 2000, Celator® Pharmaceuticals is developing advanced therapies to treat cancer. Based on a proprietary technology platform, research at Celator identifies synergistic ratios of drugs to improve tumor cell kill and locks the synergistic ratio in a drug delivery vehicle to maintain the ratio in patients. The goal of this approach is to improve the therapeutic benefit these drugs provide patients.
Many forms of cancer are currently treated with drug regimens that combine individual chemotherapeutic drugs. Because many drugs are toxic at certain levels, these “cocktails” are typically developed by combining drugs that have non-overlapping toxicity profiles and different mechanisms of action. In this way, individual drugs can be combined at their maximum dosing levels. This approach has represented the standard of care in oncology for decades.
By focusing only on the impact of individual drugs, this standard has failed to recognize the critical role that drug ratios play in the effectiveness of combining chemotherapies. Research efforts led by Celator have shown that many combinations of chemotherapeutic drugs can act synergistically to kill cancer cells when combined and maintained at certain ratios. These same agents, when combined at other ratios can act antagonistically or with reduced clinical benefit. Celator’s research and clinical development programs are based on the finding that the ratios used to create these drug regimens – and the ability to control those ratios systemically – can have a profound impact on their efficacy.
Celator’s proprietary drug technology platform, CombiPlex®, has shown significant promise in identifying, delivering and maintaining synergistic ratios of chemotherapeutic drugs resulting in new drug product candidates. With this technology advantage, Celator is positioned to develop an expansive pipeline of novel chemotherapies based on this concept. Celator’s current research focus involves the use of drugs that are already approved and used widely to treat cancer. The Company’s lead product candidates are targeting acute myeloid leukemia and colorectal cancer. A preclinical program is exploring potential drug candidates for other tumor types. Click here to learn more about Celator’s products.
The broad applications of the CombiPlex platform also position Celator to develop novel chemotherapies using experimental drugs and develop products that target a broader range of serious illnesses.
Celator Milestones:
| 2010 |
- Presented positive data from a Phase 2 clinical trial with CPX-351 for the treatment of newly diagnosed AML in patients >60 years of age
- Completed enrollment in a Phase 2 trial with CPX-351 for the treatment of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in first relapse
- Raised Series D financing for $20 million
- Announced expansion of research agreement with Cephalon, Inc.
- Announced positive data from a Phase 2 clinical trial with CPX-351 for the treatment of newly diagnosed AML in patients >60 years of age
- Received Notice of Allowance on U.S. patent for CombiPlex® technology platform
- Selected to participate in NCI’s Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory assay cascade for characterization of nanoparticle prodrug delivery platform
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| 2009 |
- Initiated research agreement with Cephalon, Inc.
- Initiated enrollment in a Phase 2 clinical trial with CPX-351 for the treatment of patients with AML in first relapse
- Announced $3.7 million partnership with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society® to accelerate the development of CPX-351
- Completed enrollment in a Phase 2 clinical trial with CPX-351 for the treatment of newly diagnosed AML in patients >60 years of age
- Presented interim data from a Phase 2 clinical trial with CPX-351 for the treatment of newly diagnosed AML in patients >60 years of age
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| 2008 |
- Presented Phase 1 data for CPX-351 in patients with advanced leukemia at the American Society of Hematology meeting
- Initiated enrollment in a Phase 2 clinical trial with CPX-351 for the treatment of newly diagnosed AML
in patients >60 years of age
- Received Orphan Drug designation for CPX-351 for the treatment of AML
- Raised Series C financing in excess of $22.5 million
- Announced positive Phase 2 data for CPX-1 for the treatment of colorectal cancer
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| 2007 |
- Announced positive interim results from a Phase 1 clinical trial for CPX-351
- Closed $10 million follow-on financing
- Announced positive results from a Phase 1 extension study for CPX-1
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| 2006 |
- Announced positive results from a Phase 1 clinical trial with CPX-1 and begins Phase 2 clinical trial
- European Patent Office granted a patent broadly covering CombiPlex technology
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| 2005 |
- In one of the year’s largest life science deals, Celator closed a $40 million Series B financing round with the participation of several leading venture capital firms
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| 2002 |
- Completed $7.5 million Series A financing round
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| 2000 |
- Celator founded as a spinoff company from the British Columbia Cancer Agency
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