PharmAust announced an agreed extension of work being conducted at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute (ONJCRI) investigating the mechanism of action of monepantel (MPL) upon cancer cells. As announced on 29 September 2020, researchers in the Cell Death and Survival Laboratory at the ONJCRI led by Associate Professor Doug Fairlie conducted a comprehensive RNA-Seq (RNA sequencing) screen investigating how the entire genome of cancer cells responds when treated with MPL. A select subset of genes was found to be either switched on or off by MPL in cancer cells, but not in non-cancer cells. The mRNA profiles of non-cancer cells were relatively unaffected by MPL treatment, consistent with the possible low level of toxicology observed for MPL. Using state-of-the-art techniques, the ONJCRI researchers will now examine these genes in greater detail and match changes in their activity with changes in associated protein signalling pathways. These experiments are aimed at determining what happens within the cancer cell once MPL interacts with its primary molecular targets and then exerts its downstream and definitive anti-cancer activity. Establishing MPL's mechanism of action in this detail will enable differentiation of MPL's effects upon cancer cells as compared to other anti-cancer drugs, thus assisting with regulatory submissions and facilitating licensing and marketing as the company move towards Phase III and IV trials. The work to be conducted by the ONJCRI will be funded by PharmAust.