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Alfacell Corporation announced
that Intae Lee, Ph.D., Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, is
presenting new data on the effectiveness of ONCONASE(R) (ranpirnase) against non-small
cell lung cancer (NSCLC) at the 47th Annual Meeting of the American Society
of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO), held on October 16-20 in Denver.
Dr. Lee's presentation is entitled, 'The Enhanced Efficacy Of Cisplatin And
Carboplatin By The RNase ONCONASE(R) On A549 Human Lung Cancer Xenografts Of
Nude Mice.'
"In these studies, we observed several events, including whether apoptosis
(programmed cell death) was induced by ONCONASE; whether ONCONASE could
sensitize the efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents cisplatin and carboplatin, and
the changes in tumor volume after treatments with ONCONASE in
combination with either cisplatin or carboplatin," stated Dr. Lee.
"The data from our research indicates that ONCONASE alone inhibited the
tumor growth
of A549 human NSCLC cells, and induced apoptosis of those cells. ONCONASE also
enhanced the cytotoxic effects of cisplatin and carboplatin when both drugs were
simultaneously administered and when cisplatin or carboplatin was added after
ONCONASE, and increased the cisplatin-induced tumor growth delay. Finally, and
importantly, for the treatment of large-size tumors previously treated
unsuccessfully with various drugs, ONCONASE effectively
showed the inhibition of tumor growth, while cisplatin and carboplatin did not
show such tumoricidal effects."
Dr. Lee concluded, "These results continue to illustrate the remarkable
effect of ONCONASE against NSCLC."
"Dr. Lee's elegant work builds on a significant number of studies that show
ONCONASE enhances standard chemotherapeutic drugs -- even in the presence of
drug resistance," stated Dr. Susanna Rybak, newest member of Alfacell's
Scientific Advisory Board and former head of a laboratory at the National Cancer
Institute (NCI) that helped develop the groundwork for RNase-based therapeutics.
"One explanation may be found from Dr. Lee's previous
observation that ONCONASE lowers tumor interstitial fluid pressure, one of the
major causes of inadequate drug delivery into solid tumors."
"These studies offer further validation of ONCONASE's potential as a novel
and promising cytotoxic agent," stated Kuslima Shogen, Chief Executive
Officer of Alfacell. "We will continue in our collaboration with Dr. Lee
and the University of Pennsylvania to build a strong compendium of data that
shows ONCONASE to have significant clinical utility in the treatment of NSCLC
and other solid tumors."
Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)
According to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer is the leading cause of
cancer deaths worldwide among men and women. NSCLC is the most common form
of lung cancer, accounting for 80 percent of all lung cancer cases. In 2004,
NSCLC accounted for approximately 160,000 deaths in the United States. According
to industry analysts, the NSCLC drug market is projected to exceed $4 billion by
2012.
Alfacell Corporation, Oct. 19, 2005
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