|
Alfacell Corporation (NASDAQ:ACEL) announced that a new publication reviewing ONCONASE(R) (ranpirnase), the Company's lead investigational drug candidate, appears in the current edition of the journal Cancer Investigation.
The publication, entitled, "Ribonucleases as a Novel Pro-Apoptotic Anticancer Strategy: Review of the Preclinical and Clinical Data for Ranpirnase," describes ONCONASE as representing a "novel approach to mechanism-based cancer therapy," and states that the results of multiple tumor-specific trials have been interpreted as showing "clinical effectiveness in mesothelioma, breast cancer and non-small cell lung cancer." The publication also affirms that the Company's proprietary RNases have "much potential as chemotherapeutics."
The authors of the publication are John Costanzi, M.D., Lone Star Oncology, Austin, Texas, David Sidransky, M.D., Johns Hopkins University Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland; Ami Navon, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel, and Howard Goldsweig, M.D., ClinPro Oncology, Bound Brook, New Jersey.
According to the authors, "Efforts to improve cancer therapy have focused on the development of more selective, biological mechanism-based agents that can overcome tumor resistance and minimize toxic effects to normal cells. Cytotoxic RNases represent one such mechanism-based approach. These relatively small proteins selectively attack malignant cells, triggering apoptotic response and inhibiting protein synthesis. As such, RNases represent a new therapeutic class with broad clinical applications and new biologic activities."
ONCONASE, currently being evaluated in a Phase IIIb confirmatory trial in malignant mesothelioma and a Phase I / II trial in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), is the first RNase to reach late-stage clinical development.
"This publication effectively underscores the potential of ONCONASE as a novel and promising anti-cancer agent," stated Kuslima Shogen, Chief Executive Officer of Alfacell. "As we approach full enrollment of the pivotal ONCONASE malignant mesothelioma trial, advance the current ONCONASE NSCLC trial and continue efforts to move our promising early-stage candidates into the clinic, we intend to build on the already significant suite of data validating the therapeutic potential of Alfacell's unique RNase technology platform."
Alfacell Corporation
26 Sep 2005
|
Mesothelioma Attorney
|
