Cotton-Seed Based Drug Shows Promise in Treating Severe Brain Cancer

	Tweet

An experimental drug derived from cottonseed shows promise in treating the recurrence of glioblastoma multiforme, widely considered the most lethal brain cancer, said researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).

The new results are from a Phase II clinical trial of AT-101, a pill manufactured from a potent compound in cottonseed that overcomes the abnormal growth patterns of tumor cells. This cottonseed-based agent must be properly dosed and monitored by physicians.

In clinical tests, AT-101 halted the cancer’s progression in many of the 56 patients, said John Fiveash, M.D., an associate professor in the UAB Department of Radiation Oncology and the lead researcher on the new study.

Despite undergoing other treatments, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, the trial patients’ brain cancer had begun to grow again prior to starting AT-101 treatments. The trial-monitored patients took only AT-101 daily for three out of four weeks. Glioblastomas are more common in adults and are considered fast-growing brain tumors that are very difficult to treat, Fiveash said.

“After getting this drug some of these patients went many months without any new growth in their tumors,” Fiveash said. “We are able to do that with a well-tolerated oral medication, and that is a major benefit.” His initial results will be presented May 30 during the poster discussion of central nervous system tumors at the American Society for Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Orlando, Fla.

Fiveash said the drug would likely work best in combination with radiation and chemotherapy to boost the cancer-fighting properties of those treatments. Also, investigators are trying to learn which patients are most likely to benefit from AT-101.

The AT-101 trial is a partnership that includes Fiveash, the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, The Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Emory University in Atlanta, Moffit Cancer Center in Tampa, the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., and the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Therapeutics Evaluation Program.

AT 101 is manufactured by Ascenta Therapeutics Inc. based in Malvern, Penn. Multiple preclinical and clinical trials with AT-101 are ongoing in several tumor types, including prostate, lung, B-cell malignancies and other forms of cancer.

About UAB
The UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center is the only one in a five-state region to have the National Cancer Institute’s comprehensive designation. The center collaborates with the UAB Department of Radiation Oncology and other divisions to remain a world leader in groundbreaking translational research and leading-edge patient care.

About Ascenta Therapeutics
Ascenta Therapeutics Inc. is a privately held, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that discovers and develops new medicines for the treatment of cancer. The lead agent, AT-101, is an orally active small molecule pan Bcl-2 inhibitor (Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, and Mcl-1) currently in Phase 2 clinical trials. The company’s preclinical pipeline includes the oral multi-IAP antagonist AT-406, and an HDM2-p53 inhibitor program.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is a separate, independent institution from the University of Alabama, which is located in Tuscaloosa. Please use University of Alabama at Birmingham on first reference and UAB on all consecutive references.

Source: University of Alabama at Birmingham

RELATED STORIES:
Study finds 231 new genes associated with head and neck cancer   Factors behind head and neck cancer revealed   New Protocol Targets Aggressive Brain Cancer   Dana-Farber Hosting Live Twitter Chat on Head and Neck Cancers   New Insight on Survival for Patients with Head and Neck Cancers   Tobacco and alcohol use independently increase risk of head and neck cancer   Early morning smokers have increased risk of lung and head and neck cancers   Genome code cracked for most common form of pediatric brain cancer   Researchers ID behavioral risk factors for head and neck cancers   Study identifies 5 risk factors for late-stage head and neck cancer   Researchers Identify Best Treatments for Long-Term Survival in Brain Tumor Patients   Tobacco use linked to worse outcomes in HPV-positive head and neck cancer, U-M study finds   HPV-Positive Tumor Status Indicates Better Survival in Patients with Oropharyngeal Cancer   New technique holds promise for rare eye cancer   Brain metastases hijack neuron-supporting cells to resist chemotherapy   Variations in Five Genes Raise Risk for Most Common Brain Tumors   Protein associated with growth of tumors may prevent the spread of cancer   UVA Brain Cancer Trials Lead to FDA Accelerated Approval of Medication   Evidence “increasingly against” phone cancer risk   Erlotinib dose-adjusted for smoking status effective as first treatment for head and neck cancer   Novel Vaccine Curbs Brain Tumor Growth, Increases Survival   Target for Therapeutic Drugs to Fight Most Common Adult Brain Cancer

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]