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Biotech / Medical : Biotech Lock-Up Expiration Hell Portfolio -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: tuck who wrote (760)	1/22/2003 2:37:19 PM
From: tuck	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1005

INGN getting another pop on preclinical news (the neat thing here being that safety in humans is already established, so if efficacy can be established . . . but we all know curing mice of cancer does not necessarily mean we're going to cure humans): >>AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- A preclinical study published in the journal Molecular Cancer Therapeutics demonstrates that Mebendazole exhibits potent antitumor activity using both in vitro and in vivo models of lung cancer. Treatment of lung cancer cell lines with Mebendazole caused the arrest of mitosis, the process leading to cellular division, and resulted in apoptotic cell death. Moreover, oral administration of Mebendazole in mice elicited a strong antitumor effect in a subcutaneous cancer model, as well as in a mouse model of metastatic lung cancer. Among the most significant of the in vivo study's findings was an absence of toxicity in Mebendazole treated mice compared to mice administered Taxol®. Taxol® is marketed by Bristol-Myers Squibb and is a widely used chemotherapy drug. This study reports the first direct evidence that Mebendazole actively inhibits microtubule assembly, a sub-cellular process central to cell division; disruption of microtubule dynamics within cells is the central mechanism of action of several cancer chemotherapies in widespread use. Moreover, Mebendazole appears to accomplish this disruption via multiple pathways. Introgen (Nasdaq: INGN - News) has exclusive rights to patent applications describing the use of the mebendazole family of drugs for cancer and hyperproliferative disorders based on discoveries of Introgen scientists and its collaborators at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. The study, sponsored by Introgen, was performed by Tapas Mukhopadhyay, Ph.D., assistant professor in the department of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. "This study demonstrates an important new use for an old drug," said Jack A. Roth, M.D., chairman of the department of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery, and chairman of Introgen's scientific advisory board. "The demonstration of mitotic arrest, microtubule disruption and apoptosis in lung cancer cells by this drug is remarkable, especially in light of its long and safe use clinically. Even more impressive was the comparison with Taxol® -- Mebendazole was significantly more effective at blocking lung cancer metastasis than Taxol® and it was much less toxic." Mebendazole, a drug long used for the oral treatment of parasitic diseases, was not previously known to have anti-cancer activity. Previous studies showed that Mebendazole could disrupt microtubule dynamics in worms and could bind human microtubules. Inhibiting microtubule function can lead to arrest of the cell cycle, thereby blocking cell proliferation. Because cancer cells exhibit uncontrolled growth, inhibition of microtubule function is a major target in anti-cancer drug development. The best known microtubule blockers are the taxanes; a class of drugs that have anti-tumor activity against a range of cancers and are among the most widely used cancer drugs. However, experience with mebendazole in animal models and in humans has not shown the significant toxicities associated with the taxanes, suggesting that mebendazole may have a novel mechanism of action, and could ultimately prove to be a safer chemotherapy. "This paper is significant in that this is the first time it has been reported that Mebendazole can disrupt microtubules in human lung cancer cells, and it appears this activity is potent and broadly applicable to a variety of cancer cell types," said Sunil Chada, Ph.D., director of research and development at Introgen, and co-author of the paper. "If this activity were ultimately shown to be accompanied by the diminished toxicity suggested by this study and by human experience with the drug, cancer patients could benefit substantially from this therapy, and the commercial potential for this product could be very large indeed. We will continue to advance the program and are seeking pharmaceutical partners to augment our development activities," continued Dr. Chada.<< snip Cheers, Tuck