Research results presented at International Conference sponsored jointly by AACR, NCI and EORTC
Washington, DC, November 16, 1999 --- Researchers presented data here today from an ongoing Phase I clinical trial showing that a novel anti-cancer agent, called CCI-779, is well-tolerated and may have antitumor activity. CCI-779 is a derivative of rapamycin, an immunosuppressive agent. Results were presented at the International Conference on Molecular Cancer Therapeutics - Discovery, Development, and Clinical Validation, sponsored by the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR), the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC).
"By interfering with key proteins that regulate cell growth, CCI-779 may stop the progression of tumors. This is a unique mechanism of action for an anti-cancer agent," explained Eric Raymond, M.D., senior investigator and associate professor of oncology at the Institut Gustave Roussy in Villejuif, France. "If these preliminary results are confirmed in future observations, this may represent a new and safer treatment for cancer patients."
The results were presented by Jerome Alexandre, a physician-in-training and researcher with Dr. Raymond, who received an AACR Young Investigator Scholar Award, bestowed on predoctoral students, postdoctoral fellows, and physicians-in-training for outstanding abstracts. The study is being conducted in collaboration with Axel Hanauske, M.D., Ph.D. from the Oncology Institute in Munich, Germany, and the sponsor Wyeth-Ayerst Research in Radnor, Pennsylvania /Genetics Institute in Munich, Germany.
Twelve patients received CCI-779 in this ongoing Phase I study. Three patients with renal cell cancer experienced tumor regression after other treatments had failed. At the doses used so far, the main adverse effects were mild skin reactions and inflammation of the mucous membranes, which occurred at all dose levels
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Cooney Waters Group, Inc.
15-Nov-1999