Cancer Gene Therapy Week articles from September 2004

Cancer Gene Therapy Week archives from September 2004

Gene-deleted oncolytic adenovirus vector activates cancer therapy.
September 6, 2004... 2004 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Gene-deleted oncolytic adenovirus vector activates cancer therapy. "Viruses that replicate selectively in cancer cells constitute an exciting new class of anticancer agent. The conditionally...

Mesenchymal stem cells have antitumor effect in rat glioma model.
September 6, 2004... 2004 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Genetically engineered mesenchymal stem cells have an antitumor effect in a rat glioma model. "The prognosis of patients with malignant glioma is extremely poor, despite the extensive surgical...

Small interfering RNAs that target the MDR1 gene reverse multidrug resistance.
September 6, 2004... 2004 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Small interfering RNAs that target the MDR1 gene reverse multidrug resistance. "Overexpression of P-glycoprotein, encoded by the MDR1 gene, confers multidrug resistance (MDR) on cancer cells and is...

DLEU2 is an antisense regulator of human and murine RFP2/LEU5 genes.
September 6, 2004... 2004 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- DLEU2 is an antisense regulator of human and murine RFP2/LEU5 genes. According to a study from Sweden, "our group previously identified two novel genes, RFP2/LEU5 and DLEU2, within a 13q14.3...

Triplex-forming oligonucleotide curtails the oncogene Ki-ras.
September 6, 2004... 2004 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Triplex-forming oligonucleotide curtails the oncogene Ki-ras. According to published research from Italy, "the Ki-ras gene is frequently mutated and/or overexpressed in human cancer. Since it is...

EGR3 involved in estrogen-signaling pathway in breast cancer.
September 6, 2004... 2004 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- EGR3 is involved in the estrogen-signaling pathway in breast cancer. According to recent research from Japan, "Estrogen has been closely associated with the genesis and malignant progression of...

Epigenetically altered tumor cell vaccine developed.
September 6, 2004... 2004 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An epigenetically altered tumor cell vaccine has been developed. According to a study from the United States, "Functional inactivation of genes critical to immunity may occur by mutation and/or by...

New DNA vaccine targets proteins expressed in cervical cancer cells.
September 6, 2004... 2004 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions pathologists have developed a new DNA vaccine that targets proteins expressed in cervical cancer cells. Their work was described in the August 2004 issue of the...

Hyaluronan pairs with CD44 to encourage colon carcinoma cell invasion.
September 6, 2004... 2004 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hyaluronan pairs with CD44 to encourage colon carcinoma cell invasion. According to a study from the United States, "hyaluronan (HA) and its biosynthetic enzymes, HA synthases (HAS1, 2, and 3) are...

Oblimersen antagonizes Bcl-2 to treat small cell lung cancer.
September 6, 2004... 2004 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Oblimersen antagonizes Bcl-2 to treat small cell lung cancer. "Bcl-2 protein inhibits apoptosis and confers resistance to treatment with traditional cytotoxic chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and...

Cancer company reports Q2 revenues of $212,000, down from same time last year.
September 6, 2004... 2004 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Dendreon Corp. (DNDN) reported results for the quarter ended June 30, 2004. Revenues for the second quarter of 2004 were $212,000 compared to $1.8 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2003. ...

Genomic-analysis technology company reports improved financial results.
September 6, 2004... 2004 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Epoch Biosciences, Inc., (EBIO), a provider of proprietary products that accelerate genomic analysis, reported that revenues for the second quarter were $1.9 million and that net loss for the quarter...

Telomerase technology company reports Q2 loss of $8.9 million.
September 6, 2004... 2004 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Geron Corp. (GERN) reported financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2004. For the second quarter of 2004, the company reported a net loss of $8.9 million or $0.20 per share...

BCNU promotes the death of oligodendroglioma-derived cells.
September 6, 2004... 2004 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- BCNU promotes the death of oligodendroglioma-derived cells. According to recent research published in the Journal of Neuro - Oncology, "oligodendroglial differentiation in gliomas is associated...

Cells engineered to secrete soluble CD70 boost antitumor immunity.
September 6, 2004... 2004 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cells engineered to secrete soluble CD70 boost antitumor immunity. According to a study from France, "one of the strategies to promote an antitumor response is the genetic modification of tumor...

Interferon receptor regulation enhances the efficacy of cancer therapy.
September 6, 2004... 2004 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Interferon receptor regulation enhances the efficacy of cancer therapy. According to published research from the United States, "in addition to antiviral effects, Type I interferons (IFN) have...

Recombinant Sendai virus selects for and lyses human tumor cells.
September 6, 2004... 2004 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Recombinant Sendai virus selects for and lyses human tumor cells. According to recent research published in the journal Gene Therapy, "malignant tumor cells often express matrix metalloproteinases...

Cell-therapy company announces executive appointments.
September 6, 2004... 2004 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Chromos Molecular Systems, Inc., (CHR) announced the appointments of Dr. Phillip B. Maples as vice president, clinical development and manufacturing; Dr. Alan Hardwick as vice president, process...

Riaz Bandali joins board of electroporation company.
September 6, 2004... 2004 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Genetronics Biomedical Corp. (GEB) announced that the company's board of directors has appointed Riaz Bandali as a director of the company. Bandali is currently senior vice president of business...

Secretory leukoprotease inhibitor can be targeted for treating lung cancer.
September 6, 2004... 2004 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Secretory leukoprotease inhibitor can be targeted for treating lung cancer. According to published research from Japan, "secretory leukoprotease inhibitor (SLPI) is highly expressed in almost all...

Bcl-2 antisense nucleotide sensitizes interferon-resistant renal cancer to Fas.
September 6, 2004... 2004 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Bcl-2 antisense nucleotide sensitizes interferon-resistant renal cancer to Fas. According to recent research from England, "interferon alpha (IFN-alpha) is used to treat patients with advanced renal...

Histone deacetylase inhibitors improve the transfection of bladder cancer cells.
September 6, 2004... 2004 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Histone deacetylase inhibitors improve the transfection of bladder cancer cells. "Studies on bladder cancer cell lines have shown that low adenoviral (Ad) infectivity is associated with low-level...

Photochemical transfection enhances the cytotoxicity of suicide gene therapy.
September 6, 2004... 2004 SEP 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Photochemical transfection enhances the cytotoxicity of suicide gene therapy. According to a study from Norway, "tumor targeting is an important issue in cancer gene therapy. We have developed a...

Neovastat activates signals that destroy fibrin provisional matrices.
September 13, 2004... 2004 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Neovastat activates signals that destroy fibrin provisional matrices. According to scientists writing in the journal Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, "we recently reported that...

Data describe selectivity, efficacy, lack of toxicity of oncolytic adenovirus.
September 13, 2004... 2004 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Geron Corp. (GERN) announced the publication of research demonstrating selectivity, efficacy, and lack of toxicity of an oncolytic virus containing the human telomerase promoter. The work was...

Activated p53 suppresses histone methyltransferase EZH2 gene.
September 13, 2004... 2004 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Activated p53 inhibits expression of the histone methyltransferase gene EZH2. "Replicative senescence is an irreversible cell cycle arrest that limits the proliferation of damaged cells and may be...

Pigment epithelium-derived factor gene therapy may treat liver cancer.
September 13, 2004... 2004 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Pigment epithelium-derived factor gene therapy may treat liver cancer. According to recent research published in the journal Hepatology, "pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) is one of the most...

PIG7/LITAF mutations linked to EMPD pathogenesis.
September 13, 2004... 2004 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- PIG7/LITAF gene mutations have been linked to the development of extramammary Paget disease (EMPD). "To identify cancer-related genes that are involved in the carcinogenesis" of EMPD, oncologists...

Company reaches clinical milestone related to IL-9 antibody alliance.
September 13, 2004... 2004 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Genaera Corp. (GENR) announced achievement of a $500,000 milestone payment from MedImmune, Inc., related to the initiation of phase I clinical trials with a neutralizing interleukin-9 (IL-9) antibody....

Biopharmaceutical company announce milestones in StaphVAX development.
September 13, 2004... 2004 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nabi Biopharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:NABI) announced the completion of two of its three major milestones in 2004 for the development of its lead program StaphVAX [Staphylococcus aureus Polysaccharide...

E2F3 amplification associated with invasive disease.
September 13, 2004... 2004 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- E2F3 expression is correlated with disease grade in urinary bladder cancer. "E2F3 is located in the 6p22 bladder amplicon and encodes a transcription factor important for cell cycle regulation and...

T cells with dual receptors suppress cancer growth.
September 13, 2004... 2004 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- T cells with dual receptors suppress cancer growth. According to recent research from Germany, "grafting T cells with new antigen specificity by T cell receptor (TCR) gene transfer could greatly...

Biopharmaceutical company announces positive results in cancer management trial.
September 13, 2004... 2004 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Lorus Therapeutics Inc. (Lorus) announced findings from the dose escalation stage of the ongoing Phase II clinical trial of its novel antisense drug, GTI-2040 combined with capecitabine in metastatic...

Study supports electroporation-mediated DNA delivery without anesthesia.
September 13, 2004... 2004 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Genetronics Biomedical Corp. (AMEX), a late-stage developer of cancer and other therapies using electroporation-enabled delivery of drugs, DNA vaccines, and genes, announced that a study assessing the...

Electroporation-focused company report Q2 net loss of $2.2 million.
September 13, 2004... 2004 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Genetronics Biomedical Corp. (GEB), a late-stage developer of cancer and other therapies using electroporation-enabled delivery of drugs, DNA vaccines, and genes, announced its results for the quarter...

Microarray-based MS-AFLP hybridization method devised.
September 13, 2004... 2004 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A microarray-based MS-AFLP hybridization method has been devised and validated. Scientists in California "previously developed a PCR-based DNA fingerprinting technique named the Methylation...

Definitive hematopoiesis requires mixed-lineage leukemia gene.
September 13, 2004... 2004 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Definitive hematopoiesis requires the mixed-lineage leukemia gene. According to a study from the United States, "The Mixed-Lineage Leukemia (MLL) gene encodes a Trithorax-related...

Gene expression in biopsy specimens has prognostic value.
September 13, 2004... 2004 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Gene expression in tumor biopsy specimens has prognostic value for lung cancer patients. "Gene expression profiles of resected tumors may predict treatment response and outcome," scientists in New...

Virus-mediated p14(ARF) expression prompts apoptosis in osteosarcoma cells.
September 13, 2004... 2004 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Virus-mediated p14(ARF) expression prompts apoptosis in osteosarcoma cells. According to recent research published in the journal Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, "the INK4A/ARF...

Sprouty1 expression reduced in prostate tumor cells.
September 13, 2004... 2004 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Expression of the FGF signal inhibitor Sprouty1 is reduced in prostate tumor cells. "A considerable body of evidence indicates that alterations of fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) and their...

FDA grants fast-track status to temsirolimus.
September 13, 2004... 2004 SEP 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth (WYE), announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted a new fast-track designation for temsirolimus (CCI-779), an investigational mTOR...

The telomerase inhibitor GRN163 overrides glioblastoma growth.
September 20, 2004... 2004 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The telomerase inhibitor GRN163 overrides glioblastoma growth. "Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein complex that elongates telomeric DNA and appears to play an important role in cellular...

Telomerase promoter gene therapy jumpstarts lung cancer cell apoptosis.
September 20, 2004... 2004 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Telomerase promoter gene therapy jumpstarts lung cancer cell apoptosis. According to recent research from South Korea, "telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein complex, the function of which is to add...

Chatechins manipulate several genes in order to suppress cancer.
September 20, 2004... 2004 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Chatechins manipulate several genes in order to suppress cancer. "Catechins have been reported to possess anticancer activity in vitro and in vivo. To identify target genes that may be involved in...

Poliovirus receptor CD155 leaves glioma susceptible to oncolytic virus.
September 20, 2004... 2004 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Poliovirus receptor CD155 leaves glioma susceptible to oncolytic virus. "Cell adhesion molecules of the immunoglobulin superfamily are aberrantly expressed in malignant glioma. Amongst these, the...

TSLC1 gene induction initiates apoptosis in non-small-cell lung cancer cells.
September 20, 2004... 2004 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- TSLC1 gene induction initiates apoptosis in non-small-cell lung cancer cells. According to recent research from Canada, "the TSLC1 tumor-suppressor gene is silenced in a number of human cancer...

Houston researchers examine breast cancer drug Herceptin, try to improve it.
September 20, 2004... 2004 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center are determined to understand why patients who should be helped by the drug Herceptin aren't, and why tumors that once disappeared due...

Do RNA helicases contribute to cancer development and/or progression?
September 20, 2004... 2004 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers are exploring whether human RNA helicases contribute to the development and/or progression of cancer. According to a review from Canada, "Human RNA helicases (HRH) represent a large...

The C-terminal domain of tenomodulin has antiangiogenic properties.
September 20, 2004... 2004 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The C-terminal domain of tenomodulin has antiangiogenic properties. "Tenomodulin (TeM) is a type II transmembrane glycoprotein that contains a C-terminal domain with homology to the mature,...

Adenovirus could aid local and systemic treatment of resistant disease.
September 20, 2004... 2004 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A selectively oncolytic adenovirus has potential use in local or systemic gene therapy of treatment-resistant cervical cancer, report University of Helsinki scientists. G.J. Bauerschmitz and...

Vascular biology support for the use of bevacizumab in colorectal cancer.
September 20, 2004... 2004 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- NewsRx wishes to clarify that S.A. Doggrell was a reviewer of the research described in the above-titled article that appeared in the August 27, 2004, issue. The review entitled "Vascular biology...

Protein kinase C eta inhibition potentiates TRAIL treatment of prostate cancer.
September 20, 2004... 2004 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Protein kinase C eta inhibition potentiates TRAIL treatment of prostate cancer. According to recent research from Germany, "tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) is a...

Comparative genomic hybridization arrays identify novel cancer-related genes.
September 20, 2004... 2004 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Comparative genomic hybridization arrays identify novel cancer-related genes. According to a researchers in Japan, "comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) has already made a significant impact on...

The Wilms tumor gene is overexpressed in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
September 20, 2004... 2004 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Wilms tumor gene is overexpressed in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. According to a study from Japan, "the expression of the Wilms tumor gene WT1 was examined by immunohistochemistry in 40...

von Hippel-Lindau promotes the self-destruction of renal carcinoma cells.
September 20, 2004... 2004 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- von Hippel-Lindau promotes the self-destruction of renal carcinoma cells. According to published research from the United States, "the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) is a known tumor suppressor that binds...

Mutant cytosine deaminase is an effective prodrug converter.
September 20, 2004... 2004 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Mutant cytosine deaminase is an effective prodrug converter. "Suicide gene therapy of cancer is a method whereby cancerous tumors can be selectively eradicated while sparing damage to normal...

Molecular images track the activity of cancer gene therapy.
September 27, 2004... 2004 SEP 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Molecular images track the activity of cancer gene therapy. According to review from the United States, "gene therapy of cancer has been one of the most exciting and elusive areas of scientific...

Hypoxia enhances the use of survivin promoter in cancer gene therapy.
September 27, 2004... 2004 SEP 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hypoxia enhances the use of survivin promoter in cancer gene therapy. According to published research from the United States, "increasing evidence indicates that survivin, an inhibitor of...

RNA molecules have shown promise as cancer therapy.
September 27, 2004... 2004 SEP 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- RNA molecules have shown promise as cancer therapy. According to a recent report from Israel, "the inhibition of cancer growth and progression is one of the major challenges facing modern...

iBAC system-mediated gene delivery stifles glioma cell growth.
September 27, 2004... 2004 SEP 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- iBAC system-mediated gene delivery stifles glioma cell growth. "The expression of genes from genomic loci can be relatively complex, utilizing exonic, intronic and flanking sequences to regulate...

First genetic step necessary for prostate cancer growth identified in research.
September 27, 2004... 2004 SEP 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new study from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center published in the September 1, 2004 issue of Cancer Research, found that when mice are engineered to lose a single copy of a gene called Rb in...

Preclinical data demonstrate antitumor effects of T-oligo technology.
September 27, 2004... 2004 SEP 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- CancerVax Corporation (NASDAQ:CNVX) announced that data published in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Journal (Vol. 18, No. 12) demonstrate that treatment of mice...

Outgrowth endothelial cells host gene vectors that target tumor vessels.
September 27, 2004... 2004 SEP 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Outgrowth endothelial cells host gene vectors that target tumor vessels. According to recent research from the United States, "cell-based delivery of therapeutic viruses has potential advantages...

Several strategies eliminate multidrug resistance gene expression.
September 27, 2004... 2004 SEP 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Several strategies eliminate multidrug resistance gene expression. According to recent research from the United States, "several distinct strategies have been used to modulate the expression of...

Plasma cell development in multiple myeloma reviewed.
September 27, 2004... 2004 SEP 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Plasma cell development in multiple myeloma has been reviewed. "Microarray analyses and gene targeting have recently enhanced the understanding of factors involved in normal plasma cells and...

John West appointed CEO of molecular nanotechnology company.
September 27, 2004... 2004 SEP 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Solexa Ltd., has appointed John West as its new CEO. Solexa is developing single molecule arrays, a form of nanotechnology expected to enable the independent analysis of up to a billion individual...

NIH awards grant to conduct research for vascular gene delivery.
September 27, 2004... 2004 SEP 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Genetronics Biomedical Corp. (GEB), a late-stage developer of cancer and other therapies using electroporation-enabled delivery of drugs, DNA vaccines, and genes, has been awarded a grant by the...