Vion (formerly Oncorx) interesting play on Gene Therapy Message Board

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Biotech / Medical : Vion (formerly Oncorx) interesting play on Gene Therapy

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To: Jim Oravetz who wrote (199)	8/11/2000 7:45:31 AM
From: Jim Oravetz	Read Replies (1) of 370

8/10/00 Vion Pharmaceuticals will test its cancer treatment’s ability to identify malignant tumors in a partnership with Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. The "TAPET" treatment — an abbreviation for Tumor Amplified Protein Expression Therapy — uses genetically modified salmonella bacteria to carry potent anti-cancer agents directly into tumors. Vion officials said Wednesday the firm has won a $141,000 National Cancer Institute contract to conduct a preliminary study. Dr. David Bermudez, a co-discoverer of TAPET, said additional modifications to the salmonella bacteria allows them to carry and produce substances that will accumulate in tumors and make identification easier. "It will make the tumor stand out," Bermudez said. Vion President Alan Kessman said tests done on mice have documented that substances carried by TAPET have hit and penetrated tumors. Additional testing, Kessman said, will grant Vion eligibility for more National Cancer Institute funding. Joining Vion researchers is Dr. Ronald Blasberg, a professor in the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center’s Department of Neurology and the Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Program. Blasberg said it’s hoped TAPET can "expand our diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities." "Diagnosis is a very important part of cancer therapy," Bermudez noted, adding that successful trials of TAPET’s diagnostic application can bring the technology to "a different or expanded market." Vion studies have shown "unarmed" bacteria can slow tumor growth by up to 90 percent. "Armed" bacteria carry toxic anti-cancer agents. Human clinical safety trials of TAPET began in 1999. source:New Haven Register Jim

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