Introgen preclinical studies in breast cancer demonstrate INGN 241 reduces tumor growth

By E. Janene Geiss

Philadelphia, Dec. 12 - Introgen Therapeutics, Inc. reported Monday that in preclinical studies its investigational cancer therapy INGN 241 reduced tumor growth and increased tumor cell death in various breast cancer treatment regimens.

Studies evaluated the anti-cancer activity of mda-7, the active component of INGN 241 in nine breast cancer tumors. INGN 241 was evaluated as a single agent, in combination with radiation therapy, with chemotherapy (Taxotere or Adriamycin), with the hormone inhibitor Tamoxifen, and with Herceptin, a biologic cancer therapy, according to a company news release.

In all settings, INGN 241 reduced cell growth and increased programmed tumor cell death (apoptosis), officials said, adding that this effect was enhanced when combined with drugs currently used to treat breast cancer.

In animal models of breast cancer, treatment with INGN 241 alone or in combination with radiation therapy resulted in significant decreases in tumor growth, officials said.

"These results suggest that the combined use of INGN 241 and current breast cancer drugs increases tumor cell death compared to standard treatments alone without increasing the toxicities associated with conventional therapy," Kerstin Menander, Introgen's vice president of clinical research and development, said in the release.

These data appear in the current issue of the journal Cancer Gene Therapy and also were described in three presentations at the annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, according to a company news release.

Introgen researchers and collaborators at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center conducted the studies.

Additional data from preclinical studies of INGN 241 as a single therapy, in combination with chemotherapy and in combination with Herceptin also were presented at the symposium. These data show enhanced activity of chemotherapy or Herceptin when combined with INGN 241 and are consistent with the results in the Cancer Gene Therapy publication, officials said.

Introgen Therapeutics, Inc. is an Austin, Texas, biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of targeted molecular therapies for the treatment of cancer and other diseases.

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