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For tumors, unfortunately, to not only survive but also thrive is often as easy as p.i.e.—those letters are an acronym for the three steps of persuasion, invasion, and evasion. Step 1 for tumor cells is to persuade—they must coerce stromal or non-cancerous cells to...

February 2024 is a leap year, meaning that an extra day is tacked on to the end of the shortest month to account for the fact that the Earth’s orbit around the Sun takes approximately 365.25 days; hence a leap year, with exceptions, falls every 4 years (0.25 x 4) to...

Our by-the-numbers PR firm, MCS, has provided us with up-to-date analytics on the EpicentRx website. As of February 2024, the top 3 blog posts with the “mosts” in terms of views are: EpicentRx Word of the Week: Uliginous, which means swampy, slimy, or slippery. The...

We met someone the other day who asked us to rate how enthusiastic we are about lead EpicentRx therapies, AdAPT-001 and RRx-001 (nibrozetone), on a scale of 1 to 10. Had a couch been available at the time we would have jumped up and down on it, Tom Cruise-style, with...

“Chthonic rhymes with demonic, which is a sort of synonym”. Chthonic adjective thon-ik Definition: : related to the underworld Example sentences: “Chthonic darkness". “Chthonic religions". “The dark basement was creepy and chthonic”. “They went on a chthonic journey...

Chuckle. What a meta (self-referential) title—and image. So, this morning, having woken up way too early for no good reason at all—TGIF after a night like that! —we decided to peruse the company website. And peruse it we did even while waiting for Starbucks to open...

Inevitably, at some point during their progression, small cell lung cancer (SCLC) tumors learn to dodge the bullets of treatment, no matter how rapidly they are fired, as effortlessly as Keanu Reeves’ character, Neo, dodges bullets from the Agents in the Matrix, shown...

The biggest traitor in human history is not Judas Iscariot, Benedict Arnold, Guy Fawkes, Vidkun Quisling, Brutus (et tu, Brutus?), Tokyo Rose, Kim Philby, Robert Hanssen, or Aldrich Ames, as infamous as each of them was—and remains to this day—in their own right....

What is the most addictive drug in the universe? If you ask us (and some others especially post Valentine’s Day), the answer isn’t love, sex, gambling, heroin, cocaine, nicotine, caffeine, methamphetamines, or alcohol. Our money is on…chocolate. Yes, chocolate. Don’t...

“You dare to come to me for a heart, do you? You clinking, clanking, clattering collection of caliginous junk!” - Oz to the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz. Caliginous adjective kuh-LIJ-uh-nos caliginosity, caliginousness noun caliginously adverb Definition: : misty,...

The expression, measure twice, cut once (or, more humorously, measure once, cuss twice), means that care taken in advance will prevent the commission of later errors. A related Russian proverb is “measure seven times cut once,” which counsels even more careful...

So said zany spokesman, Chevy Chase, in an equally zany Saturday Night Live (SNL) skit from the 1970s about an edible floor wax product called Shimmer, shown above, which he uses to reconcile a disputatious married couple, by spraying it on Gilda Radner’s floor mop...

This Valentine’s Day what better subject to tackle than love and hate, specifically as it applies to RRx-001 (nibrozetone), a small molecule we know so much about? RRx-001 is a lover, the Romeo to the Juliet of normal tissues. As such, it protects them from all manner...

“Hopefully this definition of fuliginous ‘soots’ you.” Fuliginous adjective fyoo-LIJ-uh-nus fuliginously adverb Definition: : begrimed, sooty, smoky, dark, dusky, or covert or cryptic either literally or figuratively Example sentences: “The smoggy, fuliginous air hung...

A Viagra a day keeps the neurologist away? This is the suggestion from a retrospective study from the University College of London (UCL) published in the journal Neurology which followed 269,725 men over 40 with erectile dysfunction and no dementia for 5 years. Those...

The recent disclosure of King Charles’ cancer diagnosis has touched off a frenzy of media speculation about what kind of cancer it is, his prognosis, whether William, The Prince of Wales, would step up as the heir to the throne should Charles need to abdicate, and...

“The definition of uliginous is as clear as mud.” Uliginous adjective yoo-LIJ-uh-nus Definition: : swampy, boggy, slimy, slippery Example sentences: “During a COPD exacerbation, smokers may cough up uliginous globs of mucus.” “This lawyer is uliginous.” “That plant is...

True we don’t carry an FBI badge like the facsimile of the one pictured above, but feel free to call us G-men (and women) anyway. That’s because as drug developers we must, by law, strictly adhere to the “G-regulations” as in GLP, GCP, GMP, and GDP. The “G” in this...

“To be gnathonic is also to be somewhat ironic.”                 Gnathonic adjective na-thon-ik gnathonically adverb na-thon-ik-uh-lee Definition: fawning or flattering Example sentence: “'Both your parties’ candidates are...

If the hybrid and “diverse” small molecule, RRx-001 (nibrozetone) could spit in a vial and ship it off to 23andMe, a DNA mapping service that extracts genealogical data from saliva, the breakdown would read as follows: 50% Western United States where it was...

If the “smart” oncolytic adenovirus, AdAPT-001, assuming it really was that smart, could spit in a vial and ship it off to 23andMe, a DNA mapping service that extracts genealogical data from saliva, the breakdown would read as follows: 80% Western United States where...

To leapfrog is to improve position by means of vaulting. In drug development it is vaunted to be vaulted into special position via FDA expedited approval programs. The 5 programs whose labels confer special status on the companies that receive them are: Priority...

“EpicentRx is always iconic, usually harmonic, rarely ironic, and never ever epigonic.” “Epihere today, epigone tomorrow.” Epigone noun ep-uh-GOHN Epigonic adjective ep-uh-GOHN-nik Epigonism noun ep-uh-GOHN-iz-im Definition: : a second-rate imitator, follower,...

The American Heritage Dictionary defines a bog as “an area of soft, naturally waterlogged ground.” By this definition, many tumors qualify as bog- or swamp-like i.e., they are “Bogstacles” given the degree to which blood flow through them is not only sluggish but also...

Go big or go home. Live large. Think big. Hit the bigtime. In general, we are conditioned to think that bigger is better. This is also true in drug development where the recent focus has moved away from small molecules to large ones such as monoclonal antibodies, and...

The two most advanced indications for RRx-001 (nibrozetone) are in oncology as a chemosensitizer for the treatment of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) (Phase 3 REPLATINUM) and as a chemoradioprotector for the mitigation of severe oral mucositis (SOM) (Phase 2b KEVLARx)....

“What’s the storia with aporia?” “Don’t be in doubt about the meaning of aporia.” Aporia noun uh-poor-ee-uh Aporetic adjective Definition: an expression of skepticism or doubt. an irresolvable paradox. Example sentences: “Two classic aporias or insoluble questions are...

Time and again in conditions like myocardial infarction, hemorrhagic/hypovolemic shock, stroke, pulmonary hypertension, heart failure, diabetes, atherosclerosis, chronic kidney disease, sickle cell disease and others, EpicentRx lead molecule, RRx-001 (nibrozetone),...

We’ve been asked several times about our New Year’s resolution(s). Our response? Revolution. Our 2024 resolution is revolution. Revolution through evolution. The revolution is to be carried out against the current despotic regime of widespread toxicity that...

Vive la révolution! The immunotherapy revolution. Having begun in 2011 with the approval of the first immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI), ipilimumab (Yervoy), we predict that 2024 will continue the revolution with the advancement of therapies that reverse resistance to...

Call it pettifogging, captious carping, or just plain ol’ nitpicking, but we really hate it when spell check rewrites RRx-001 as “RRX-001” or “RRex-001.” Not that we need any justification, but Rx (not RX or Rex) means prescription or recipe, and plus RRx-001 is a...

“Those that are wordy speak real purdy!” Below are the Words of the Year. This is an anamnesis of 23 words that we posted about in 2023. Ananym: name spelled backwards Anadrome: word spelled backwards Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia: fear of long words Carcinoma:...

EpicentRx is currently in the thick of discussions at JP Morgan with cardiovascular (CV) companies that have expressed interest in RRx-001 (nibrozetone) as a licensable CV agent. Here is a sample of its curriculum vitae or CV in CV (or adjacent to CV) with links:...

Virality is an internet term that refers to the rapid spread of information. As an actual virus, AdAPT-001 has virality—but not necessarily vitality since the age-old question "are viruses alive?" is an open one—in spades. This virality only applies to tumors where...

“To say that Word of the Week is the best is to be a tad rodomontade.” Rodomontade noun, verb and adjective rod-uh-muhn-tayd Definition: bragging or exaggerated speech to talk boastfully or pretentiously, to talk a big game Example sentences: “Stop your rodomontading,...

For those of you, who like us, miss the addictive hit TV series, 24, in which Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) and his fellow agents race around the clock to save the world from disaster, some excellent news: starting January 2, EpicentRx debuted its own fast-paced,...

Feeling mired, tired, and uninspired after the New Year’s break? Copy that. We can almost hear the nodding of heads whether in agreement or because of sleep deprivation or both. Fortunately, we have a diagnosis (and a fix): Holidayitis aka Holidaze, which is brought...

In Star Wars, Master Yoda says, “Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you?” Not to compare the oncolytic adenovirus, AdAPT-001, to Yoda or vice versa, but despite a diameter of 90 nm or 90 billionths of a meter, AdAPT-001 is forceful enough to do...

Welcome back and cheers to the New Year! #2024 We plan to ring it in right with the four membered dinitroazetidine ring of RRx-001 (nibrozetone), shown and circled below.           The bling-bling ✨on this specific ring comes from the twin...

If you’ve ever said “it’s just a phase” or “they grow up so fast” about a child—and God knows we have— keep in mind that those phrases also apply to clinical candidates like the lead EpicentRx oncolytic adenovirus, AdAPT-001, which is armed with a TGF-β trap to...

“Doctor, doctor, gimme the news, I got a bad case of ague. No pill's gonna cure my ill, I got a bad case of ague.” ague noun (old-fashioned) ay-gyoo plural agues ay-gyoos aguish adjective Definition: : a fit of fever or shivering that is usually caused by malaria....

“Hoo dae ye say delay or hesitate in Scots? If ye dinnae ken, read on”. Swither verb chiefly Scottish SWITH-uhr Definition: : to doubt or hesitate; to dither. Example sentence: “They swithered for ages about what to do and what to say”. Context: EpicentRx has started...

Yes, spelling very intentional. Being friends with and/or working closely with several Chrises among them Chris Larson, MD, Ph.D., the incredibly brilliant and dedicated Vice President of Viral Manufacturing at EpicentRx, whose hard work got the AdAPT oncolytic...

In the spirit of the Holidays, having already written about eggnog, we decided to give equal time to glögg, a hot and sweet mulled or spiced wine served up in Sweden (and other Nordic countries) around the Christmas season. According to the Wine & Spirits Museum...

Love it or hate it—we happen to love it— a staple of the Christmas season that dates all the way back to George Washington—and even to the British settlers before him who transported it to the colonies in the first place—is eggnog. This iconic beverage is made with...

“It goes without saying (ça va sans dire) that calque is a good word to know.” Calque noun pl -s kalk Definition: : A word or phrase in one language that directly translates from a word or phrase in another language. Calques are also called loan translations. Calques,...

This holiday season we wish you not “no más” or “no more,” like the boxer, Roberto Duran, said to the referee when he unexpectedly called it quits during his fight with Sugar Ray Leonard in 1980, but more or más nitric oxide (NO). We’ve written extensively about...

“Inflammaging is highly dam-aging, which makes it disadvant-aging. By contrast, anti-inflammaging is salv-aging.” Inflammaging or Inflammageing‎ (noun) in-fluh-mayg-ing Definition: : an age-related increase in systemic chronic inflammation. Example sentences:...

The brain. The incredible, amazing, fantastic brain. It is from this relatively minute organ, these 3 pounds of jelly suspended in utter darkness and cerebral fluid that all thought, reason, decision-making and consciousness arise. The three main parts of the human...