Telomir Pharma surges on early data for epigenetic drug

** Shares of drug developer Telomir Pharmaceuticals TELO.O surges 59% to $2.35 premarket

** Late Wednesday, co said lead experimental drug, Telomir-1, shows potential as first-in-class epigenetic therapy for cancer, age-related diseases

** Co says it effectively blocks UTX, a gene regulation enzyme, and can help reset abnormal DNA methylation patterns

** Also shows selective activity against other epigenetic targets linked to tumor growth, inflammation

** Epigenetic therapies aim to change how genes are switched on or off without altering the DNA itself

** As of last close, stock down 64% YTD