Local company making huge strides in developing cancer cure, free of side effects

COVINGTON, Ky. - Bexion Pharmaceutical would be the first to tell you their research is far too preliminary at this point for them to be able to promise a cancer cure. They still could be several years and millions of dollars away from that, but one thing they can promise at this point is hope; hope for those who are desperate.

Inside Bexion Pharmaceuticals' unassuming Covington office, among the test tubes, chemicals, and vials, stands something far more important. It's called the "Wall of Inspiration", featuring the faces of those hoping that the research that takes place there brings about a cancer cure.

"This certainly puts a face with a name, with a diagnosis. Unfortunately, two of the individuals on the wall have since passed away, but they continue to be part of our inspiration," said Chuck Scheper, Chairman of the Board for Bexion.

His fight against cancer goes far beyond his financial interests in the bio-tech company. His battle is personal too. "I feel like all of my experiences in my entire life, including my own cancer journey, has led me to this point in time," he said.

It was 1992, that he was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkins lymphoma. A bone marrow transplant saved his life. At the time, that procedure was still experimental. Not unlike the nature of what Bexion is now developing that is the talk of the medical field.

"For the last two years, I have been saying this is just too good to be true, how could this be," said Scheper.

Of the size of the company, Ray Takigiku, Bexion's CEO and President, said, "I think we are the right size where we are right now, we certainly intend to grow."

And grow Bexion will if the research there continues on the path it is on.

"This is the culmination of a lot of brain power and lot of dollars of activity," added Takigiku.

After countless dollars and hours are spent in a laboratory setting, this is what it comes down to. It is called BXQ-350, and after some very preliminary research, it is already showing that it may be the perfect cure for cancer. Perfect in lab mice in eight different forms of cancers.

"By day 13, the two mice that we had tested were showing no signs of the cancer," said Scheper.

The promise it could hold gets even better. BXQ-350 is also proving to be perfect in a petri dish with 50 other forms of cancer--ranging from lung and breast cancers to brain tumors. "We have yet to test it against a cancer where it didn't prove to be effective," said Scheper.

"It's not easy to do this," said Takigiku.

So how does BXQ-350 work? By turning the cancer against itself, according to Takigiku.

"Every cell in our body is programmed to commit suicide, and our drug triggers that process, so it is not toxic. It doesn't have many of the same side effects," said Scheper.

BXQ-350 was discovered in 2002 by Dr. Xiaoyang Qi, who at the time was a genetics researcher working for Cincinnati Children's Hospital. QI recalls that day in a lab where he made a discovery that could change the face of medicine. But it wasn't on purpose, it was by accident. "My heart jumping up and down very quickly. I jumped up, very happy, but nobody knows, I am alone," said Qi.

"Many great discoveries happen by accident," said Scheper.

Qi has several family members of his own battling cancer in his native China. He has now left genetics and is a full-time cancer researcher for the University of Cincinnati. He remains quite humble about his discovery that if it pans out, could earn him worldwide acclaim. "All that matters to me now, have faith in this technology, I think this could work," said Qi.

The promise of the drug goes far beyond Bexion. Dr. Olivier Rixe is an Oncologist at University Hospital. Independent from the company or their future financial successes or failures, he also says after his exhaustive reviews, the promise of this drug is for real. "It is very promising, I have developed compounds now over 15 years, this is one of the most important strategies I saw in the lab." Rixe did caution, however, that only the jump of the drug to human trials will be able to tell the worth.

"We aren't done until we are done. But it does feel good. We are at a place right now where we can see the horizon," said Takigiku.

The next step will be to get approval by the FDA to move their research to human trials as early as next spring, perhaps even being held locally at University Hospital. It will be crucial step; a big jump, where many other companies' once promising drugs like a BXQ-350 have failed in the past.