Gene therapy shrinks melanoma tumors



(MCT)

NEW YORK - Doctors wiped out melanoma by reengineering patients' own cells, marking the first time gene therapy has worked successfully against a cancer and raising hopes that the treatment can eradicate other forms of the disease.

Government scientists took healthy immune cells from patients with advanced forms of the skin cancer and taught the cells to recognize and destroy the cancer cells. Doctors then fed patients the tailor-made fighter cells intravenously, and their tumors gradually shrank.

Just two of the 17 patients in the study are still disease-free a year and a half after the treatment. But doctors said the research proved that the technique could help patients battling many forms of cancer.

"We can now convert normal lymphocytes into cells that can recognize very common cancers like breast, lung, ovary, prostate and so on. We haven't treated those patients yet, but this represents proof that this kind of approach can work," said study author Dr. Steven Rosenberg, chief of surgery at the National Cancer Institute.

The other 15 patients in the study, published in Friday's issue of the journal Science, grew low levels of the reengineered immune cells for at least two months. Since the trial began in December 2004, scientists have developed more advanced gene therapy techniques that could improve the results, Rosenberg said.

"It is totally intriguing," said Dr. Anna Pavlick, director of the NYU Cancer Institute's melanoma program.

But it's too soon to call the therapy a cure, she said.

"They didn't look at survival and they wouldn't be able to in this small group of patients. That's why it's a little bit premature to know how effective this is going to be, but nonetheless it is a treatment that needs to be studied in a larger number of patients," said Dr. Howard Kaufman, director of the tumor immunotherapy program at New York Presbyterian Hospital Columbia.

Melanoma is one of the deadliest and fastest-growing cancers in the United States. An estimated 62,190 people will develop the disease this year, and 7,910 will die of it, according to the American Cancer Society.

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http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/news/nation/15414535.htm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5304910.stm

Gene therapy frees men of cancer

Mr Origer is now clear of his cancer
Two men have been cleared of deadly skin cancer using genetically modified versions of their own immune cells.
For Mark Origer, 53, the treatment destroyed his tumour, enabling him to attend his daughter's wedding.

The US National Cancer Institute team in Bethesda has also shown it can manipulate immune cells to attack breast, liver and lung cancers.

The modified T cells persisted in 15 other patients treated, but their malignant melanomas remained.

We've identified T cell receptors that will now recognise common cancers

Lead researcher Dr Stephen Rosenberg


Q&A: Cancer gene therapy
Before the experiment, the patients were expected to only live for three to six months because their disease was so advanced.

Tests showed the genetically modified T cells used in the new treatment became specialised tumour fighters, the journal Science reports.

Although only two of the 17 people with advanced melanoma who received the treatment were completely free of cancer 18 months later, experts say the results are extremely exciting and proof that this new therapy can work.

How it works

Dr Stephen Rosenberg and his team isolated T cells from the cancer patients and multiplied them in the lab.

FIGHTING CANCER WITH GENES

1 Blood taken from patient
2 T cells infected with virus to carry key genes into them
3 DNA from genes helps cells develop receptors
4 Modified cells injected back into patient
5 Receptors target cancerous cells to be killed

Next they used a virus to carry receptor genes into the T cells. These receptors are what enable the modified T cell to recognise specific cancers - in this case malignant melanoma.

When the modified T cells were transfused into the patients they began to attack the tumour cells.

For at least two months after the treatment, the modified cells made up at least 10% of the patients' circulating T cells.

The scientists are now looking at ways to enable greater numbers of the modified T cells to survive.

Dr Rosenberg said: "We've identified T cell receptors that will now recognise common cancers."

Disease free

For Mark Origer, 53, the treatment completely eliminated his skin cancer and another tumour on his liver shrunk enough that it could be removed surgically.

These are preliminary but promising results

Professor John Toy of Cancer Research UK

The treatment meant he was well enough to attend his daughter's wedding last year. Last week, doctors pronounced him completely clear of cancer cells.

Another man, aged 39, was able to clear the cancer that had spread to his liver, lymph nodes and lung.

Dr Michael Sadelain, director of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre's somatic cell engineering laboratory, said: "This certainly is a significant technical advance."

But he said the technique would need improving so more patients could benefit.

The success of this approach in two patients shows promise, however 15 patients did not respond to the treatment

Dr Edel O'Toole, British Skin Foundation spokesman

Professor Savio Woo, from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, said the treatment should now be tested in more patients.

Professor Robert Hawkins, professor in medical oncology at the University of Manchester, UK, said the results were very exciting.

"It seems to be effective, but it does seem to need improvement," he added.

Dr Edel O'Toole, consultant dermatologist at the Centre for Cutaneous Research, Barts, and British Skin Foundation spokesman, said: "I think that the success of this approach in two patients shows promise, however 15 patients did not respond to the treatment suggesting that further work is needed to optimise this approach for all patients, which could take many years."

Professor John Toy, medical director at Cancer Research UK, said: "These are preliminary but promising results.

"It's important to realise that we are not looking at a 'miracle cure' for all cancers."

Malignant melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer with 8,000 new cases per year in the UK and approximately 1,800 deaths.

All very interesting.

Well done to bring all this info togther potatohead.

STRONGLY SUGGEST YOU LISTEN TO THIS, CLICK ON THE LINK

http://www.wallstreetreporter.com/interview.php?id=18589&player=wma

I did, now what?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5304910.stm

Saw that already, reading it again.

Bear with me

Look ph, are you saying ERX are involved in this?

Where do you see them mentioned in any news on this or are you hopeful that they are?

ERX HAS ALL THE PATENTS TO THIS TECHNOLOGY.. DO THE RESEARCH LAD

ph this is not my field, but I will research as far as I can, if you have any other info other than the above it may be useful.

seaw.. only two companies have the patents for this mate.. ERX and SAR, and SAR and ERX are working together, but ERX has the major patents..

get your daily mail tomorrow.. you may see a buy recomendation tomorrow ;-)

Okay thanks.

Article Preview
Researchers' data from the United Kingdom, Germany and United States advance cancer treatment research

Vaccine Weekly - Sep. 13, 2006
2006 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- Data on cancer treatment are outlined in reports from the United Kingdom, Germany and United States.

Study 1: A new anticancer glycolipid monoclonal antibody, SC104, directly induces tumor cell apoptosis.

According to recent research from England, "A novel monoclonal antibody was raised by immunization of mice with colorectal tumor cell lines. The fusion was screened by immunohistochemistry for binding to primary colorectal tumors. Subsequent analysis on primary disaggregated colorectal tumors show that the antibody recognizes a cell surface antigen expressed by the majority of colorectal tumors."

"Antigen characterization has shown that the antibody ...

http://www.therapeuticsdaily.com/news/article.cfm?contentValue=1078531&contentType=sentryarticle&channelID=28


EIRX THERAPEUTICS PLC ("EIRX")

POTENTIAL NEW THERAPIES FOR COLORECTAL & OTHER CANCERS


Cork, Ireland, 10th January, 2006 EiRx Therapeutics plc (AIM: ERX), the drug discovery company developing targeted therapies for cancer, is pleased to announce the filing of patent applications describing a novel class of drug candidates with potential value as treatments for a range of cancers including colorectal and breast tumours. This class of molecule is structurally dissimilar to the class of molecules for which patent applications were made in August 2005, thus ensuring a deeper pipeline of development for the treatment of colorectal and breast cancer.

Exploiting the insight afforded to them through their ALIBITM genomics platform, EiRx scientists developed EnPADTM technology to target APC-b-catenin signalling, a cellular control pathway known to play a major role in the majority of cases of colorectal cancer, as well as in several other tumour types. A custom-designed EnPADTM cell line was used to screen a focused library of drug-like, kinase inhibitor compounds, resulting in the discovery of a series of related compounds with selective activity against transformed cell types including colorectal and breast cancer cell lines. The EnPADTM technology development programme was funded in part by the Marie Curie Transfer Of Knowledge grant.

Commenting on the discovery, EiRxs Chief Scientific Officer Prof Tom Cotter said: The company's EnPADTM technology has again proven its ability to identify novel classes of molecules with selective biological activity. The class of molecules filed in the current patent applications are structurally quite different to those that were the subject of the earlier patent applications in August 2005. As a result we are in the enviable position of moving two chemical scaffolds through preclinical with the potential to treat these socio-economically important diseases.

EiRx Chairman John Pool said: Not only does filing a second class of molecule with activity against colorectal and breast cancer endorse our EnPADTM approach in drug discovery; it also demonstrates that EiRx has set its sights firmly on the identification and development of novel molecules to treat cancer. Having two series of molecules in preclinical development, both with the potential to treat colorectal and breast cancer, demonstrates that EiRx has the potential to rapidly become a key player in these very considerable therapeutic markets.

expect news this week, big news!!!

colon cancer

Protein May Help Targeting for Anti-Tumor Drugs
21:35:11 EDT Oct 12, 2006
Canadian Press
THURSDAY, Oct. 12 (HealthDay News) - A protein that may help in the development of new anti-tumor drugs has been identified by Mayo Clinic researchers.

The protein - cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) - acts as a "quality control inspector" during cell division, and also directs cell death for cells that are damaged during division.

Normal cells pause during the division process if they detect an inaccurate genetic code embedded in their DNA. If possible, repairs are made to those mistakes.

When those genetic code errors are irreparable, CDK2 modifies another cellular protein called FOX01 to send a signal that causes the damaged cell to die, the study found.

"Quality control within dividing cells is essential because mistakes during duplication of the genetic code can lead to cancer. CDK2 is a key protein component in the cellular mechanism that leads to repair of damaged DNA," Donald Tindall, co-leader of the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center prostate cancer research program, said in a prepared statement.

This finding offers scientists a potential "bulls eye" for targeting anti-tumor drugs.

The study was published in the current issue of Science.

MGI are being chased by ERX for mileston payment according to company, MGI pharma report results on wednesday.. expect great news!!!

potatohead - 13 Oct 2006 11:51 - 205 of 205
Pharmaceutical Feature: Cdk5 inhibitors as novel candidate ...Hawkings, EF Medical, EiRx Therapeutics Ltd, Elan IT, Eli Lilly ... Cdk5 differs from other members of the Cdk family being modulated by its activator, p35. ...

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&ned=uk&ie=UTF-8&q=CDK2+eirx&sa=N&tab=nw