EGEN and the Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) have partnered to speed up the human clinical trial of EGEN’s nanoparticle-based gene therapy for the treatment of brain cancer.
The candidate gene therapy, which uses nanoparticles as an efficient carrier to supply drugs to the tumor spot, has already been assessed in the Phase I and II clinical studies in patients suffering from ovarian and colorectal cancers. EGEN is planning to start the Phase I studies for glioblastoma, a type of brain tumor that is complicated to treat.
The Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory is a member of the NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer and an alliance between the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the NCI. SAIC-Frederick operates the lab under contract. The lab analyzes the chemical and physical properties of nanoparticles and their reactions on animal models. All these findings are essential for the human clinical trial in medical procedures.
The partnership is part of NCI’s rigorous effort to gear up novel treatments and technologies for patients suffering from AIDS and cancer. EGEN’s Vice President of Preclinical Research and Development, Dr. Jason Fewell stated that the company is happy to use NCL’s resources for the development of the company’s unique IL-12 gene therapy for the glioblastoma treatment. With this NCL partnership, the company believes that it can accelerate the advancement of this treatment into more cancer indications, including brain cancer, he added.
Source: http://celsion.com/