Marvel Biosciences Corp. and its wholly owned subsidiary, Marvel Biotechnology Inc. announce that in a recent study done by the Company, its lead drug candidate MB- 204 demonstrated a 400% increase in the survival rate of animals being treated by high doses of chemotherapy treatment, cis-platinum. Cis-platinum is commonly used for a wide range of cancers and is the most powerful chemotherapeutic treatment available today.

Unfortunately, it has multiple potentially- catastrophic side effects including kidney and nerve damage, cognitive dysfunction and hearing loss. The risk of nephrotoxicity in patients taking cis-platinum is between 20% and 35% and leads to death, in the case of acute kidney injury (AKI) patients, forcing clinicians to carefully dose and monitor kidney health. In some cases cis-platinum treatment for cancer has to be terminated early without achieving the desired outcome.

David Blum, a key member of Marvel's scientific advisory board, recently published data showing inhibiting the adenosine A2a receptor, using the approved drug Istradefylline, reduces kidney and nerve damage in cis- platinum treated animals. It was also previously reported that inhibiting the A2a receptor prevented cognitive dysfunction as well. Marvel's MB-204 directly targets the A2a receptor and blocks its activity.