[EMAIL PROTECTED] (William J. Foristal) writes:
Hi Sue,
Yeah, but have they spent over 20 years in R&D research??? LOL!
Bill
On Tue, 05 May 1998 09:15:35 -0700 Sue Hartigan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
writes:
>Sue Hartigan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
>
>
>http://www.cancer.org/bottomnews.html
>
>New drug combination eliminates cancer in mice
>
>Two new drugs are found to kill cancer in mice - human trials given
>top priority
>
>A combination of two new drugs has been proven to completely destroy
>cancers in laboratory mice. Now the question is: Will it work in
>humans?
>Nearly three decades of research have gone into this discovery, hailed
>as "the
>single most exciting thing on the horizon" of cancer treatment by Dr.
>Richard
>Klausner, National Cancer Institute Director. Human studies of the two
>drugs,
>angiostatin and endostatin, are expected to begin within a year.
>
>Decades of research
>
>Nearly thirty years ago, Dr. Judah Folkman, now a Harvard Medical
>School
>professor, realized that growth and spread of cancers seemed to depend
>on
>their ability to cause formation of nearby blood vessels to bring
>nourishment to
>the cancer cells. Folkman called this process angiogenesis, from the
>Greek
>words angio for vessel, and genesis, for beginning. Without
>angiogenesis,
>cancers could still form but would not be able to grow larger that
>about
>1/16
>inch, and would not be able to spread to other parts of the body. Over
>the
>following years, Folkman and his colleagues working at Boston
>Children's
>Hospital slowly unraveled most of the details of how cancer cells
>secrete
>substances that promote angiogenesis. More recently, Folkman's team
>and
>several other groups of angiogenesis researchers have identified and
>begun
>preliminary testing of several drugs that slow or prevent
>angiogenesis.
>Several
>have shown very promising results in animal tests and early stages of
>clinical
>trials in cancer patients.
>
>The discovery of angiostatin and endostatin
>
>In 1991, Folkman and research trainee Dr. Michael O'Reilly began a
>search
>for substances naturally produced by the body that might inhibit
>angiogenesis. They discovered that plasminogen, an enzyme important in
>breaking up blood clots, naturally splits into fragments, one of which
>is a
>potent angiogenesis inhibitor. They called this substance angiostatin.
>Their
>team soon discovered an even more powerful angiogenesis inhibitor,
>endostatin, that is formed when a type of collagen breaks into
>fragments.
>Collagens are a group of related proteins that give strength to bones,
>tendons
>and the walls of blood vessels. The most recent and exciting finding
>from
>Folkman's research team is that combining angiostatin and endostatin
>causes mouse cancers to disappear without a trace, even when examined
>under a microscope.
>
>Balanced with caution
>
>The atmosphere of hope and excitement these breakthroughs have
>generated
>needs to be balanced with caution, warns Folkman. Several experimental
>treatments have been highly successful in animals but have proven to
>be
>of
>limited value to humans. "We have to be careful with expectations"
>said
>Folkman.
>
>Next step: Clinical Trials
>
>The next step is clinical trials, which are expected to begin within a
>year. "I
>am putting nothing on higher priority than getting this into clinical
>trials" said
>Klausner. Because clinical trials of angiostatin and endostatin are
>not
>yet
>underway, patients may consider clinical trials of other
>anti-angiogenesis
>drugs such as TNP-470, carboxyamidotriazole, anti-VEGF, or
>thalidomide,
>says the American Cancer Society. Information on these clinical trials
>is
>available from the National Cancer Institute (1-800-4-Cancer). In
>addition to
>anti-angiogenesis drugs, several other promising new treatments are
>also
>being tested in clinical trials.
>
>The American Cancer Society spends over 91 million dollars on cancer
>research each year, including several angiogenesis research projects.
>Dr.
>Folkman received an American Cancer Society grant from 1964-1966 to
>support his cancer research training, and was awarded the ACS Medal of
>Honor in 1993, the organization's highest award.
>--
>Two rules in life:
>
>1. Don't tell people everything you know.
>2.
>
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