Alfacell Corporation
(Nasdaq: ACEL) announced that Dr. Intae Lee with the University of
Pennsylvania has reported that Alfacell's ONCONASE (ranpirnase) could be a
promising radiation sensitizer for lung cancer treatment. Dr. Lee presented
the pre-clinical in vivo and in vitro data in a poster at the 2008 American
Association of Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting being held April 12 -
16 in San Diego.
In the poster titled "The inhibition of radiation repair by ranpirnase
+/- I-buthionine sulfoximide on lung cancer," Dr. Lee provided pre-clinical
evidence that ONCONASE +/- I-buthionine sulfoximide significantly increased
the radiation-induced growth delay of lung tumors in vivo without increases
in skin reaction, compared to radiation alone. Additionally, in vivo and in
vitro data presented indicated that ONCONASE significantly increased
apoptosis (programmed cell death) in several human non-small cell lung
cancer (NSCLC) cell lines (A549, NCI-H1975 and HOP-62). Dr. Lee and his
team of researchers also showed that the radiation repair mechanisms known
as sub-lethal damage repair (SLDR) and potentially lethal damage repair
(PLDR), which lead to radiation resistance in tumors, were significantly
inhibited by ONCONASE in vitro.
"Our research suggests potential utility of ONCONASE as a radiotherapy
enhancer for the treatment of NSCLC patients," said Dr. Lee. "It is
important to overcome PLDR as it can ultimately lead to radiation
resistance. One of our key findings is the inhibiting impact of ONCONASE on
the PLDR mechanism, which is a pre-requisite to developing a radiotherapy
enhancer."
Kuslima Shogen, Alfacell's chief executive officer, added: "This work
by Dr. Lee and his team provides further evidence of the potential for
ONCONASE to mitigate the resistance that often develops in, and confounds
the treatment of NSCLC."
About ONCONASE(R)
ONCONASE is a first-in-class product candidate based on Alfacell's
proprietary ribonuclease (RNase) technology. A natural protein isolated
from the leopard frog, ONCONASE has been shown in the laboratory and clinic
to target cancer cells while sparing normal cells. ONCONASE triggers
apoptosis, the natural death of cells, via multiple molecular mechanisms of
action.
About Alfacell Corporation
Alfacell Corporation is the first company to advance a
biopharmaceutical product candidate that works in a manner similar to RNA
interference (RNAi) through late-stage clinical trials. The product
candidate, ONCONASE, is an RNase that overcomes the challenges of targeting
RNA for therapeutic purposes while enabling the development of a new class
of targeted therapies for cancer and other life-threatening diseases. In
addition to an ongoing Phase IIIb study in malignant mesothelioma, Alfacell
is conducting a Phase I/II trial of ONCONASE in non-small cell lung cancer
(NSCLC) and other solid tumors. For more information, visit
alfacell.
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This press release includes statements that may constitute
"forward-looking" statements, usually containing the words "believe,"
"estimate," "project," "expect" or similar expressions. Forward-looking
statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results
to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Factors that
would cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited
to, uncertainties involved in transitioning from concept to product,
uncertainties involving the ability of the company to finance research and
development activities, potential challenges to or violations of patents,
uncertainties regarding the outcome of clinical trials, the company's
ability to secure necessary approvals from regulatory agencies, dependence
upon third-party vendors, and other risks discussed in the company's
periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. By making
these forward-looking statements, the company undertakes no obligation to
update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this
release.
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