Multiple Myeloma-Causing Plasma Cells Show Intense Uptake of Intravenous Liposomal Curcumin as Reported by SignPath Pharma, Inc. in Paper Published in the Cancer Research Journal “Anticancer Research”

SignPath Pharma, Inc. reported in the March issue of Anticancer Research* that its proprietary intravenous liposomal curcumin (LipoCurc™) concentrates very intensely in the malignant plasma cells that cause multiple myeloma. LipoCurc™ infusion, which achieves blood levels of curcumin in humans that are 1000 – 2000 times more than standard oral curcumin, then concentrates in red and white blood cells, which form a reservoir. By far the greatest uptake in these cells is in the malignant plasma cell, 400 – 500 times that seen in the red blood cell, and 4 – 5 times the uptake seen in the normal plasma cell.

LipoCurc™ has previously been tested in a phase 1A trial of 39 human volunteers and in a phase 1B trial of 31 advanced cancer patients, and despite the high blood levels achieved, has shown minimal toxicity. Unlike other intravenous curcumin compounds, it does not cause QT prolongation or cardiac arrhythmias, and no heart, lung, kidney or liver toxicity was seen in the 70 human patients treated.

SignPath is planning several phase 2 trials to test the efficacy of LipoCurc™ against specific cancer types, including against multiple myeloma. Dr Peter P. Sordillo, Chief Scientific Officer at Sign Path Pharma, states “Curcumin has been shown to be effective against multiple myeloma in experimental models, and it is synergistic with both proteasome inhibitors and immunomodulating agents. The intense uptake of liposomal curcumin in malignant plasma cells and the much smaller uptake in normal plasma cells after LipoCurc™ infusion suggest it could be an effective, but relatively non-toxic, treatment for this disease.”

SignPath Pharma, Inc. is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing two major drug platforms:

• LipoCurc™ for cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and sepsis.
• SPP4040 for prevention of drug-induced cardiac arrhythmias, and prevention of heart damage and congestive heart failure secondary to chemotherapy.

* Anticancer Research 39: 1161 – 1168, 2019 (March 2019)

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