Vascular Targeting Reduces Tumor Growth by 98%

A growing body of practical data supports the use of vascular targeting agents (VTAs), which are designed to seek and destroy preexisting blood vessels within cancerous tumors by blocking off the tumor's blood supply.

VTAs represent a therapeutic approach that is different from the more widely known angiogenesis inhibitors, which slow tumor growth by cutting off new blood vessel formation. Dr. Jin He, from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (Dallas, TX, USA) has recently reported in his studies that radiation therapy had significantly increased the antitumor activity of a Tarvacin equivalent named 3G4. Tarvacin is a VTA developed by Peregrine Pharmaceuticals (Tustin, CA, USA;). In lab animals treated with 3G4 plus external beam radiation, tumor growth was reduced by 98% as compared with 85% for radiation therapy alone or 67% with 3G4 alone.

At a presentation at the Vascular Targeting Agents conference in Cambridge (MA, USA) in November 2004, Philip Thorpe, Ph.D., a member of Peregrine Pharmaceuticals remarked, "VTAs are progressing through preclinical development and into clinical trials. This conference is unique in that it brings together experts in all of the various approaches--we can discuss the research in person, learn from each other and take new ideas coming out of that mix back to the lab, and ultimately, to the clinic.”

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals develops cancer therapeutics and diagnostics including VTAs, and anti-angiogenesis and vasopermeation enhancement agents (VEAs). The company is working closely with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to start its first clinical trial using Tarvacin. Tarvacin is an antibody that binds to the phospholipid phosphatidylserine, which binds directly to tumor blood vessels to inhibit tumor growth and development.




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