NCI response today
National Cancer Institute
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 12, 1998
FOR RESPONSE TO INQUIRIES
NCI Press Office
(301) 496-6641
Press
Release
NCI Continues to Conduct Research on
Endostatin and Angiostatin
In November 1997, scientists in the laboratory of Judah
Folkman, M.D., of Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical
School in Boston, Mass., published the results of experiments
indicating that the compounds endostatin and angiostatin are
potent anti-cancer agents in mice. Given the promising
outcome of these experiments, the National Cancer Institute
(NCI) has worked on confirming the results and preparing the
compounds in a timely manner for studies in people.*
Follow-up studies of endostatin have been under way for
several months at NCI in collaboration with EntreMed, Inc.,
of Rockville, Md. Although the results of these investigations
are still extremely preliminary, they show in some treatment
groups that murine endostatin shows slight delays in the
growth of a well-characterized lung tumor in laboratory mice,
the same type of tumor and mouse used by Folkman's group.
Others studies at EntreMed show delay in tumor growth using
the human version of endostatin in mice. However, to date,
NCI studies using either the mouse or human forms of
endostatin have not produced the marked regression of these
tumors in mice that Folkman's laboratory has reported.
Scientists from NCI and Folkman's laboratory are working
together to resolve the differences in their research results.
Given these developments, NCI now will conduct additional
technical and research studies that aim to define how to use the
agent effectively in mice, the animal that was the basis for the
original interest in endostatin. The process of angiogenesis
and its role in tumor growth remain the focus of much
research and clinical testing. More than a dozen agents aimed
at controlling or treating cancer by inhibiting tumor blood
vessels now are being tested in clinical trials sponsored by
drug companies and NCI.
People interested in information about ongoing trials listed in
NCI's PDQ database may contact NCI's Cancer Information
Service at 1-800-4-CANCER or search PDQ themselves via
the Internet (http://cancertrials.nci.nih.gov -- under "more"
choose Introduction, then choose "finding specific trials.")
*Angiostatin is now under study primarily at Bristol Myers Squibb under
an agreement with EntreMed. NCI, however, has agreed to produce an
adequate supply of the compound for academic research purposes. |
