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The inhaled
version of Orathecin™, used in combination with the p-53
tumor suppression gene, may be effective in fighting lung
cancer, according to researchers at Baylor College of Medicine
in Houston.
The results
of the preclinical study appeared in the journal Gene Therapy.
Eleven
days after laboratory mice were injected with tumor cells,
they were treated with inhaled versions of Orathecin and the
p-53 tumor suppressor gene.
Researchers
found a highly significant reduction in the number of visible
tumor sites in the treated mice compared with untreated mice
or mice treated with Orathecin or the p-53 tumor suppression
gene alone, or Orathecin in combination with a control plasmid
(form of DNA).
The inhaled
delivery system of p-53 and Orathecin gave a 30 to 40 percent
increase in the average survival time of the mice, compared
with mice in different control groups. Even when given in
reduced dosages, p-53 and Orathecin still achieved a reduction
in tumors.
"Aerosol
deliver of drugs and genes holds promise for the treatment
of disseminated lung metastases, since aerosol delivery can
target the lungs specifically and uniformly," said Dr.
Vernon Knight, professor and senior investigator of the study.
"The data from this study suggest that the combination
of Orathecin and p-53 gene delivered by aerosol is an attractive
strategy for growth inhibition of established tumor metastases
in the lungs."
"These
results are encouraging given the complete lack of effective
treatment regimens for lung cancer and lung metastatic disease,"
said Dr. Joseph Rubinfeld, chairman and CEO of SuperGen, makers
of Orathecin.
Source:
Medical Week staff,
week of May 12, 2002
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