Newly Released Prisoners At High Risk For Death

Prisoners who have been recently released from prison have a high death rate, especially in the first two weeks after release, a new study finds. The findings will be published in the Jan. 11 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

The study was conducted by Ingrid Binswanger, MD, of the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center's School of Medicine, Marc Stern, MD, health services director of the Washington State Department of Corrections, and other researchers at the University of Washington and Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Binswanger conducted the research while taking part in the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program at the University of Washington and the VA Puget Sound Health Care System.

In the first study of its kind in the U.S., Binswanger analyzed data from 30,237 inmates released from prison between 1999 and 2003 in Washington state. The sample represented almost all prisoners released during that time. Of those individuals, 443 died during an average follow-up time of 1.9 years.

The death rates of the released prisoners were compared to the death rates of other Washington residents of the same age, gender, and race. The study found that newly released prisoners were 12.7 times as likely to die in the two weeks following their release compared to other state residents in the same demographic groups. Over the whole study, the former inmates were 3.5 times more likely to die than other state residents. The death rate among former inmates was considerably higher than the death rate among inmates in prison.

"These striking findings suggest that former inmates are at high risk for death following their release from prison," said Binswanger. "These results, along with findings from studies done in other countries, underscore the need for novel programs to reduce the risk of death in former inmates."

The leading causes of death were drug overdose, cardiovascular disease, homicide and suicide. Nearly one quarter of the deaths were a result of drug overdose, and half of these deaths resulted from cocaine. After cocaine, most overdose deaths were caused by methamphetamine and opiates like heroin. Lung cancer represented half of all the cancer deaths in this population.

Younger individuals tended to die from overdose, homicide and suicide, whereas older individuals tended to die from cardiovascular disease and cancer. Binswanger recommends programs targeted by age to address this difference.

"The U.S. has exceptionally high rates of incarceration," said Binswanger. "When a released prisoner dies, it may have an impact beyond his own life, affecting families and communities. These findings suggest that we need programs and policies targeted at decreasing the risk of death as former inmates transition back into their communities."

Binswanger is a physician researcher and an assistant professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine at UCDHSC's School of Medicine. Her research focuses on health, the criminal justice system, and vulnerable populations.

The School of Medicine faculty work to advance science and improve care as the physicians, educators and scientists at University of Colorado Hospital, The Children's Hospital, Denver Health, National Jewish Medical and Research Center and the Veterans Administration Medical Center. The School is part of the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, one of three universities in the University of Colorado system. For more information, visit the Web site at http://www.uchsc.edu or the UCDHSC Newsroom at http://www.uchsc.edu/news.

University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center
Mail Stop F-413 PO Box 6508
Aurora, CO 80045-0508
United States
http://www.uchsc.edu/

AstraZeneca Announces Recentin(R) As Global Trademark For Novel Cancer Treatment, AZD2171

AstraZeneca today announced RECENTIN™ as the global trademark for AZD2171, its oral, highly potent and selective vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signalling inhibitor. AZD2171 is currently in Phase II/III development for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) - as well as a wide-ranging signal search programme in other tumours.

Ian Triggs, Global Brand Strategy Director for AZD2171 commented:
"The announcement of a brand name represents a key milestone in the development of AZD2171"

Dr Nick Botwood, Global Medical Director for AZD2171, added:
"Pre-clinical data shows this compound is a potent suppressor of angiogenesis - an established approach in anti-cancer treatment. More importantly, early clinical trial data has also shown encouraging anti-tumour activity with AZD2171 and a side effect profile that appears to be predictable and manageable. The ongoing trial programme will be important to establish how AZD2171 may add to the treatment options currently available to patients."

VEGF is a key driver of angiogenesis - the formation of new blood vessels. By inhibiting VEGF receptors, AZD2171 hinders angiogenesis, thus preventing the blood supply that tumours need to grow and spread. There are three VEGF receptors involved in tumour angiogenesis, (VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2, VEGFR-3).

AZD2171 inhibits all three,1 in particular VEGFR-2, the predominant receptor through which VEGF exerts its effect on angiogenesis.

RECENTIN™ is a trademark of the AstraZeneca group of Companies.

Ongoing clinical trials with AZD2171

The anti-tumour efficacy of AZD2171 is being evaluated in an extensive ongoing clinical development programme including studies in lung and colorectal cancer.

Lung cancer

Lung cancer remains the biggest cause of cancer death worldwide. Over 1.35 million new cases of lung cancer are diagnosed every year and nearly 1.2 million people die as a result of this disease - more than breast, colon and prostate cancer combined.2 A Phase II/III study, BR-24, being coordinated by the National Cancer Institute of Canada (NCIC), is comparing the efficacy of AZD2171 plus 'doublet' chemotherapy (paclitaxel and carboplatin) to 'doublet' chemotherapy alone in patients with advanced NSCLC.

Colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly reported cancer worldwide, with around 945,000 new cases and 492,000 deaths annually.3 It is ranked second in terms of both incidence and mortality in more developed countries.3

The Horizon Study Programme is ongoing to evaluate AZD2171 in patients with advanced colorectal cancer.

-- Horizon III is a Phase II/III randomised, double-blind, international multi-centre investigation of AZD2171 in combination with FOLFOX compared to bevacizumab (Avastin(R)) in combination with FOLFOX, in patients with previously untreated metastatic colorectal cancer.

-- Horizon II, a randomised, double-blind Phase III study will compare AZD2171 plus standard chemotherapy with standard chemotherapy alone in patients with first line advanced colorectal cancer.

-- Horizon I, a Phase II study, will evaluate AZD2171 in combination with FOLFOX compared to bevacizumab in combination with FOLFOX, in the second-line treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

About AZD2171

AZD2171 is a once-daily, orally available, highly potent and selective VEGF signalling inhibitor that inhibits all three VEGF receptors.1 The preclinical profile of AZD2171 indicates that it has the potential to be the 'best in class' VEGF signalling inhibitor.1

AZD2171 has shown encouraging signs of anti-tumour activity in a clinical development programme, which has included over 700 patients to date. Phase I data indicate that AZD2171 is generally well tolerated, with the most common dose related adverse events being diarrhoea, hoarseness, headache and hypertension.4

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a major international healthcare business engaged in the research, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription pharmaceuticals and the supply of healthcare services. It is one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies with healthcare sales of $23.95 billion and leading positions in sales of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neuroscience, respiratory, oncology and infection products. AstraZeneca is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (Global) as well as the FTSE4Good Index.

www.aztrazeneca.com

References

1 - Wedge SR, Kendrew J, Hennequin LF, Valentine PJ, Barry ST, Brave SR, Smith NR, James NH, Dukes M, Curwen JO, Chester R, Jackson JA, Boffey SJ, Kilburn LL, Barnett S, Richmond GH, Wadsworth PF, Walker M, Bigley AL, Taylor ST, Cooper L, Beck S, Jurgensmeier JM, Ogilvie DJ. Cancer Research 2005, 65: 4389-4400.

2 - Ferlay J, Bray F, Pisani P, et al. GLOBOCAN 2002: Cancer Incidence, Mortality and Prevalence Worldwide IARC CancerBase No. 5. version 2.0, IARCPress, Lyon, 2004.

3 - Stewart BW and Kleihues P (Eds): World Cancer Report. IARCPress. Lyon. 2003.

4 - Drevs J, Medinger M, Mross K, Zirrgiebel U, Strecker R, Unger C, Puchalski TA, Fernandes N, Roberston J, Siegert P. Proceedings from ASCO 2005, Abs 3002.

Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (CTI) Files For Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) With FDA For XYOTAX Lung Cancer Trial In Women

Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (CTI) (Nasdaq: CTIC; MTAX) today announced it has filed for a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the design of its phase III trial of XYOTAX for women with advanced lung cancer. The trial, PGT306, will focus exclusively on women with normal estrogen levels, the subset where XYOTAX demonstrated the greatest survival advantage in the STELLAR trials. The trial is expected to enroll 300 poor performance status (PS2) women who have advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and have not received prior chemotherapy. Only women with normal estrogen levels either as a result of pre-menopausal age or hormone replacement therapy will be randomized in the follow-on study to the PIONEER trial.

"Through our clinical studies in 2006, we have gained important insights into the best lung cancer patient population to target our XYOTAX pivotal trial effort in order to minimize end-of-trial surprises while maximizing the probability of success. We look forward to feedback and guidance from the FDA on our phase III trial," said James A. Bianco, M.D., President and CEO of CTI. "Lung cancer continues to be the number one cancer killer of women. Better treatments are needed to combat this disease that will kill more than 70,000 women this year."

In addition, Bianco reviewed CTI accomplishments for 2006 and identified important Company milestones for 2007:

-- "In 2006 the Company made significant progress in positioning XYOTAX, if approved, for successful commercialization," said Bianco. "A major development was the establishment of a potential $285 million commercial and development partnership for XYOTAX with Novartis, providing the global expertise and resources of one of the leading multi-national oncology companies."

-- In addition the Company received positive advice and agreement from the EMEA's Scientific Advice Working Party (SAWP) to switch from the superiority endpoint in the STELLAR 4 trial to a non-inferiority endpoint for XYOTAX. CTI plans to file a marketing authorization application (MAA) in Europe in 2007 for XYOTAX as a single agent for first-line treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in men and women PS2 patients. "Given the recent article in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute showing the economic toll of the hours lost to cancer care, we believe the SAWP agreement recognizes this important and often overlooked reality," said Bianco.

"For our other phase III product, pixantrone, we recently presented positive clinical data at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting showing high overall responses from two pixantrone studies. In addition, based on interim data from the first 40 patients on the EXTEND trial, a randomized phase III study of pixantrone for patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), the Data Monitoring Committee recommended the study continue," Bianco added.

"2006 was a rebuilding year for the Company, establishing an important partnership while advancing our two lead drug candidates toward market. With two key regulatory events for XYOTAX and pixantrone, 2007 promises to be a pivotal transition for the Company and its products."

Key Target Milestones for 2007

-- Reach Special Protocol Assessment agreement with FDA on PGT306 pivotal trial for XYOTAX in women with lung cancer and initiate enrollment at approximately 200 centers worldwide

-- Reach Special Protocol Assessment agreement with FDA on PIX303 pivotal trial for pixantrone in first-line and second-line indolent NHL and initiate enrollment at more than 100 centers worldwide

-- File a marketing authorization application (MAA) in Europe in 2007 for XYOTAX as a single agent for first-line treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in PS2 patients

-- Conduct interim analysis on phase III pixantrone clinical trial in relapsed aggressive NHL (EXTEND trial) and if compelling, meet with FDA to discuss potential registration strategy

-- Maintain burn rate at 2006 level, continue to strengthen and de-leverage balance sheet

About Cell Therapeutics, Inc.

Headquartered in Seattle, CTI is a biopharmaceutical company committed to developing an integrated portfolio of oncology products aimed at making cancer more treatable. For additional information, please visit http://www.cticseattle.com/.

This press release includes forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties, the outcome of which could materially and/or adversely affect actual future results. Specifically, the risks and uncertainties that could affect the development of XYOTAX and pixantrone include risks associated with preclinical and clinical developments in the biopharmaceutical industry in general and with XYOTAX and pixantrone in particular including, without limitation, the potential failure of XYOTAX and pixantrone to prove safe and effective for treatment of non -small cell lung cancer and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, determinations by regulatory, patent and administrative governmental authorities, competitive factors, technological developments, costs of developing, producing and selling XYOTAX and pixantrone, and the risk factors listed or described from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including, without limitation, the Company's most recent filings on Forms 10-K, 8-K, and 10-Q. Except as may be required by Italian law, CTI is under no obligation to (and expressly disclaims any such obligation to) update or alter its forward- looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Cell Therapeutics, Inc.
http://www.cticseattle.com/

NeoRecormon Gains European Approval For Convenient Once Weekly Treatment Of Anaemia In Patients With Solid Cancers

Roche announced today that it has received European marketing approval for a simple and convenient once weekly subcutaneous injection of NeoRecormon (epoetin beta) 30,000 IU for the treatment of anaemia in patients with solid cancers receiving chemotherapy. This expansion of the product label means that patients will no longer have the burden of three injections per week and their anaemia can be managed in a more convenient way.

Anaemia affects up to 95% of cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.1 It can develop as a result of the cancer itself or as a consequence of its treatment. For most patients anaemia manifests itself as an extreme and overwhelming fatigue that makes the impact of cancer even more devastating.

NeoRecormon 30,000 IU once weekly is proven to effectively2 and rapidly3,4 correct anaemia irrespective of the type of chemotherapy patients receive. It also reduces the need for blood transfusions by at least 50% compared to standard care5,6 and has been shown to significantly increase the time until patients need a first transfusion.7 Patients treated with NeoRecormon often experience an improvement in their quality of life8 and an increase in their daily energy levels.6,9

Key supportive data for the new label came from the BRAVE (BReast cancer - Anaemia and the Value of Erythropoietin) study, which was conducted in women with metastatic breast cancer receiving chemotherapy5,7,10 and the NAUTICA study conducted in patients with a wide range of cancer types also receiving chemotherapy.3

About NeoRecormon

NeoRecormon is prescribed for the treatment of symptomatic anaemia in patients with cancer. Treating anaemia increases red blood cell (haemoglobin) numbers and oxygen levels allowing the body to function effectively, which improves patients' quality of life and reduces morbidity.

NeoRecormon is one of Roche's leading biotechnology achievements and market leader in the countries in which it is sold.

With the label expansion announced today NeoRecormon 30,000 IU once weekly is now indicated for the treatment of symptomatic anaemia in adult patients with solid and lymphoid cancers receiving any form of chemotherapy. Treatment with NeoRecormon is initiated when patients' haemoglobin level is 11 g/dl or below and given to maintain a haemoglobin level of up to 13g/dl.

About Roche

Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world's leading research-focused healthcare groups in the fields of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. As a supplier of innovative products and services for the early detection, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, the Group contributes on a broad range of fronts to improving people's health and quality of life. Roche is a world leader in diagnostics, the leading supplier of medicines for cancer and transplantation and a market leader in virology. Roche employs roughly 70,000 people in 150 countries and has R&D agreements and strategic alliances with numerous partners, including majority ownership interests in Genentech and Chugai. Additional information about the Roche Group is available on the Internet (http://www.roche.com).

All trademarks used or mentioned in this release are protected by law.

References

1. Groopman & Itri. Natl Cancer Inst 1999;91:1616 34.

2. Leonard et al. Ann Oncol 2004; 15 (Suppl 3):iii 50 Abstract 188P.

3. SpaГ«th et al 2006; 17 (Suppl 9): ix294 Abstract 1020P.

4. Boogaerts et al. Anticancer Res. 2006; 26:479-484.

5. Marangolo et al. Eur J Cancer Suppl 2005; 3: 388 Abstract 1347.

6. OrdГіnez et al. Lung Cancer 2005; 49(Suppl 2): S339 Abstract P-836.

7. Aapro et al. 29th Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2006; Poster 6095.

8. Boogaerts et al. Br J Cancer 2003; 88: 988-995.

9. de Castro et al. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 2006; Jul 28 (Epub ahead of print).

10. Marangolo et al. Journal of Clinical Oncology 2005;23: 16S, Part I of II: 8141.

Roche
http://www.roche.com

Newly Released Prisoners At High Risk For Death

Prisoners who have been recently released from prison have a high death rate, especially in the first two weeks after release, a new study finds. The findings will be published in the Jan. 11 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

The study was conducted by Ingrid Binswanger, MD, of the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center's School of Medicine, Marc Stern, MD, health services director of the Washington State Department of Corrections, and other researchers at the University of Washington and Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Binswanger conducted the research while taking part in the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program at the University of Washington and the VA Puget Sound Health Care System.

In the first study of its kind in the U.S., Binswanger analyzed data from 30,237 inmates released from prison between 1999 and 2003 in Washington state. The sample represented almost all prisoners released during that time. Of those individuals, 443 died during an average follow-up time of 1.9 years.

The death rates of the released prisoners were compared to the death rates of other Washington residents of the same age, gender, and race. The study found that newly released prisoners were 12.7 times as likely to die in the two weeks following their release compared to other state residents in the same demographic groups. Over the whole study, the former inmates were 3.5 times more likely to die than other state residents. The death rate among former inmates was considerably higher than the death rate among inmates in prison.

"These striking findings suggest that former inmates are at high risk for death following their release from prison," said Binswanger. "These results, along with findings from studies done in other countries, underscore the need for novel programs to reduce the risk of death in former inmates."

The leading causes of death were drug overdose, cardiovascular disease, homicide and suicide. Nearly one quarter of the deaths were a result of drug overdose, and half of these deaths resulted from cocaine. After cocaine, most overdose deaths were caused by methamphetamine and opiates like heroin. Lung cancer represented half of all the cancer deaths in this population.

Younger individuals tended to die from overdose, homicide and suicide, whereas older individuals tended to die from cardiovascular disease and cancer. Binswanger recommends programs targeted by age to address this difference.

"The U.S. has exceptionally high rates of incarceration," said Binswanger. "When a released prisoner dies, it may have an impact beyond his own life, affecting families and communities. These findings suggest that we need programs and policies targeted at decreasing the risk of death as former inmates transition back into their communities."

Binswanger is a physician researcher and an assistant professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine at UCDHSC's School of Medicine. Her research focuses on health, the criminal justice system, and vulnerable populations.

The School of Medicine faculty work to advance science and improve care as the physicians, educators and scientists at University of Colorado Hospital, The Children's Hospital, Denver Health, National Jewish Medical and Research Center and the Veterans Administration Medical Center. The School is part of the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, one of three universities in the University of Colorado system. For more information, visit the Web site at http://www.uchsc.edu or the UCDHSC Newsroom at http://www.uchsc.edu/news.

University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center
Mail Stop F-413 PO Box 6508
Aurora, CO 80045-0508
United States
http://www.uchsc.edu/

Lung Cancer Vaccine Enters Large-scale Clinical Trial

A new treatment for the most common form of lung cancer, developed from initial research by Cancer Research UK scientists, has entered a pivotal phase III clinical trial.

The drug, called Stimuvax, is a type of therapeutic vaccine that targets a specific protein found in many tumours, including non-small cell lung cancer. It was developed by Canadian biotech company Biomira following Cancer Research UK-funded studies led by Professor Joyce Taylor-Papadimitriou of Guy's Hospital, London. Biomira have already run phase II trials with very encouraging results.

The international phase III trial, named START (Stimulating Targeted Antigenic Responses To NSCLC), is expected to enrol its first patient this month. Run by pharmaceutical company Merck KGaA, it will eventually include more than 1,300 lung cancer patients in 30 countries, including the UK.

Therapeutic vaccines are a relatively new development in cancer treatment. Unlike preventative vaccines, they are treatments that induce the body's own immune system to identify and kill existing cancer cells. Stimuvax is designed to stimulate the immune system to recognise and react to a molecule called MUC1, which is much more abundant on tumour cells than healthy cells. The immune system then kills the cancer cells with MUC1, hopefully without overly harming healthy cells.

Cancer Research Technology Limited (CRT), Cancer Research UK's development and commercialisation company, licensed a number of discoveries to Biomira, which led to the development of Stimuvax for advanced non small cell lung cancer. Merck KGaA also plans to investigate the use of Stimuvax for other types of cancer.

Dr Keith Blundy, chief operating officer of CRT, said: "We are extremely pleased that Stimuvax has entered the final stage of clinical trials. The drug is one of CRT's portfolio of more than 20 partnered agents in clinical development. Targeted vaccines are an exciting approach that could potentially offer new treatment options for major types of cancer."

Harpal Kumar, chief executive of CRT and chief operating officer of Cancer Research UK, said: "We're delighted that another drug based on Cancer Research UK-funded basic research has reached the final stage of clinical development. The 'translation' of basic research into patient benefit is the major focus of our work and we hope that new ventures, such as the expansion of our drug discovery activities across the country, will lead to many more such drugs entering trials in the future."

Lung cancer

-- Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in the UK after breast cancer, and the most common cancer worldwide.

-- There were more than 37,000 cases of lung cancer diagnosed in the UK in 2003.

-- Non small cell lung cancer accounts for 80 per cent of total lung cancer cases.

-- Current standard treatments for lung cancer patients are surgery, platinum-based combination chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

START trial

In the trials, Stimuvax will be compared to a placebo. More information on the START trial can be found here.

Research centres in Edinburgh, Leeds and Exeter will be participating in the trial.

For more information about clinical trials in the UK, visit Cancer Research UK's patient information website, CancerHelp UK.

Cancer Research Technology

Cancer Research Technology Limited (CRT) is a specialist commercialisation and development company, which aims to develop new discoveries in cancer research for the benefit of cancer patients. CRT works closely with leading international cancer scientists and their institutes to protect intellectual property arising from their research and to establish links with commercial partners. CRT facilitates the discovery, development and marketing of new cancer therapeutics, vaccines, diagnostics and enabling technologies. CRT is wholly owned by Cancer Research UK, the largest independent funder of cancer research in the world. Further information about CRT can be found here.

About Cancer Research UK

Together with its partners and supporters, Cancer Research UK's vision is to beat cancer.

-- Cancer Research UK carries out world-class research to improve understanding of the disease and find out how to prevent, diagnose and treat different kinds of cancer.

-- Cancer Research UK ensures that its findings are used to improve the lives of all cancer patients.

-- Cancer Research UK helps people to understand cancer, the progress that is being made and the choices each person can make.

-- Cancer Research UK works in partnership with others to achieve the greatest impact in the global fight against cancer.

http://www.cancerresearchuk.org

Lung Cancer Vaccine Enters Large-scale Clinical Trial

A new treatment for the most common form of lung cancer, developed from initial research by Cancer Research UK scientists, has entered a pivotal phase III clinical trial.

The drug, called Stimuvax, is a type of therapeutic vaccine that targets a specific protein found in many tumours, including non-small cell lung cancer. It was developed by Canadian biotech company Biomira following Cancer Research UK-funded studies led by Professor Joyce Taylor-Papadimitriou of Guy's Hospital, London. Biomira have already run phase II trials with very encouraging results.

The international phase III trial, named START (Stimulating Targeted Antigenic Responses To NSCLC), is expected to enrol its first patient this month. Run by pharmaceutical company Merck KGaA, it will eventually include more than 1,300 lung cancer patients in 30 countries, including the UK.

Therapeutic vaccines are a relatively new development in cancer treatment. Unlike preventative vaccines, they are treatments that induce the body's own immune system to identify and kill existing cancer cells. Stimuvax is designed to stimulate the immune system to recognise and react to a molecule called MUC1, which is much more abundant on tumour cells than healthy cells. The immune system then kills the cancer cells with MUC1, hopefully without overly harming healthy cells.

Cancer Research Technology Limited (CRT), Cancer Research UK's development and commercialisation company, licensed a number of discoveries to Biomira, which led to the development of Stimuvax for advanced non small cell lung cancer. Merck KGaA also plans to investigate the use of Stimuvax for other types of cancer.

Dr Keith Blundy, chief operating officer of CRT, said: "We are extremely pleased that Stimuvax has entered the final stage of clinical trials. The drug is one of CRT's portfolio of more than 20 partnered agents in clinical development. Targeted vaccines are an exciting approach that could potentially offer new treatment options for major types of cancer."

Harpal Kumar, chief executive of CRT and chief operating officer of Cancer Research UK, said: "We're delighted that another drug based on Cancer Research UK-funded basic research has reached the final stage of clinical development. The 'translation' of basic research into patient benefit is the major focus of our work and we hope that new ventures, such as the expansion of our drug discovery activities across the country, will lead to many more such drugs entering trials in the future."

Lung cancer

-- Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in the UK after breast cancer, and the most common cancer worldwide.

-- There were more than 37,000 cases of lung cancer diagnosed in the UK in 2003.

-- Non small cell lung cancer accounts for 80 per cent of total lung cancer cases.

-- Current standard treatments for lung cancer patients are surgery, platinum-based combination chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

START trial

In the trials, Stimuvax will be compared to a placebo. More information on the START trial can be found here.

Research centres in Edinburgh, Leeds and Exeter will be participating in the trial.

For more information about clinical trials in the UK, visit Cancer Research UK's patient information website, CancerHelp UK.

Cancer Research Technology

Cancer Research Technology Limited (CRT) is a specialist commercialisation and development company, which aims to develop new discoveries in cancer research for the benefit of cancer patients. CRT works closely with leading international cancer scientists and their institutes to protect intellectual property arising from their research and to establish links with commercial partners. CRT facilitates the discovery, development and marketing of new cancer therapeutics, vaccines, diagnostics and enabling technologies. CRT is wholly owned by Cancer Research UK, the largest independent funder of cancer research in the world. Further information about CRT can be found here.

About Cancer Research UK

Together with its partners and supporters, Cancer Research UK's vision is to beat cancer.

-- Cancer Research UK carries out world-class research to improve understanding of the disease and find out how to prevent, diagnose and treat different kinds of cancer.

-- Cancer Research UK ensures that its findings are used to improve the lives of all cancer patients.

-- Cancer Research UK helps people to understand cancer, the progress that is being made and the choices each person can make.

-- Cancer Research UK works in partnership with others to achieve the greatest impact in the global fight against cancer.

http://www.cancerresearchuk.org

U.S. Cancer Deaths Decline For Second Straight Year, Though Mortality Rates Still Higher For Blacks Than Whites

The number of cancer deaths in the U.S. declined by 3,014 from 2003 to 2004, marking the second consecutive decline in annual cancer deaths, according to an American Cancer Society report released on Wednesday, the New York Times reports. ACS said the decline over two years indicates that the decrease in cancer deaths from 2002 to 2003 -- the first in more than 70 years -- was not a statistical fluke but potentially an emerging trend driven by smoking cessation increases and better detection and treatment of the most common types of cancers (Grady, New York Times, 1/17). For the report, ACS researchers reviewed U.S. death certificate data from 2004 compiled by the National Center for Health Statistics (Detroit Free Press, 1/18). Last year's report found that U.S. cancer deaths declined by 369 from 2002 to 2003. According to the new report, total cancer deaths in the U.S. decreased from 556,902 in 2003 to 553,888 in 2004 (Stein, Washington Post, 1/18). The cancer death rate -- the number of cancer deaths per 100,000 U.S. residents -- declined by about 2% in 2004, the same rate as in 2003, the report found. Prior to 2003, the cancer death rate had decreased about 1% annually for more than 10 years, but the total number of deaths continued to increase because of the growing and aging population (Stobbe, AP/Washington Examiner, 1/17).

Findings
The overall drop in the number of cancer deaths was driven by a decrease in deaths among men and women for three of the four most common types of cancer -- breast, prostate and colorectal -- although there was an increase in deaths from some other types of cancer, according to the report. Deaths from lung cancer, the most common cause of cancer death among both men and women, declined among men but increased among women. The report found:

• The largest decline in death was seen in colorectal cancer, with 1,110 fewer men and 1,094 fewer women dying from the disease;
  
  
• Women's deaths from breast cancer decreased by 666, and men's deaths from prostate cancer declined by 552;
  
  
• Lung cancer deaths declined by 333 among men and increased by 347 among women (Washington Post, 1/18); and
  
  
• There was an increase in deaths from some types of cancer, including esophageal cancer in men and liver cancer in men and women (New York Times, 1/18).
  
  

The report also identified racial disparities in cancer rates and deaths. Black women had a 9% lower cancer rate than white women but an 18% higher death rate. Black men had a 15% higher cancer rate and a 38% higher death rate than white men (Manning/Sternberg, USA Today, 1/18).

Common Cancers, Causes
The report also examined cancer rates by type and the causes of cancer. The report found:

• Leukemia was the most common cause of cancer death among males younger than age 40 and females younger than age 20;
  
  
• Lung cancer was the most common cause of cancer death among men age 40 and older and women age 60 and older;
  
  
• Breast cancer was the most common cause of cancer death among women ages 20 to 59 (Bavley, Kansas City Star, 1/18);
  
  
• Nearly one-third of cancer deaths are caused by tobacco use;
  
  
• About one-third of cancer deaths are linked to obesity, poor nutrition and inactivity;
  
  
• Five percent of cancer deaths are from hereditary causes; and
  
  
• Other cancer deaths result from infections, sun exposure or other environmental factors (Harper, Washington Times, 1/18).
  

Authors' Comments
Elizabeth Ward, a managing director in epidemiology and surveillance at ACS and an author of the report, said the overall decline in deaths from cancer "really reflects the years of effort and investment in tobacco control, programs for early detection and screening, and programs in clinical and basic research." Ward said the decrease in deaths from colorectal cancer was largely driven by increased screenings, including colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy, which can detect the disease in its earliest and most treatable stages (New York Times, 1/18). Report co-author Ahmedin Jemal, a cancer epidemiologist, said that lung cancer deaths among women have not declined because "[w]omen lag about 10 to 20 years behind men in their smoking patterns," also noting that women's lung cancer deaths could decline in future years (Washington Post, 1/18). Ward said deaths from lung cancer appear to be plateauing among women now as they did among men about 15 years ago. She said the increase in esophageal cancer in men likely was linked to obesity, which increases the risk of acid reflux that can cause the disease. The increase in liver cancer cases likely was the result of hepatitis infections, although obesity also might have played a role, Ward said (New York Times, 1/18). Ward said the higher cancer death rates among blacks than whites is concerning, adding, "[W]e have to figure out a way to make sure to reach all populations with the information they need to prevent cancer, and make sure that all populations have access to early detection and treatment ... so that 10 to 20 years from now we don't see the same big differences." (New York Times, 1/18).

Additional Comments, Funding Outlook
ACS CEO John Seffrin said, "This second consecutive drop, ... much steeper than the first, shows last year's historic drop was no fluke" (Maugh/Gellene, Los Angeles Times, 1/18). President Bush, who visited NIH on Wednesday to mark the release of the report, said funding for cancer research is "up about 25%" since 2001 (CQ HealthBeat, 1/17). Bush said of the report, "These are tangible results as a result of the research that takes place around the country" (Lite, New York Daily News, 1/18). Martin Abeloff, director of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University, said, "There is no doubt that there has been a substantial investment in this research." He added, "What is ironic about (the drop in cancer deaths) is that at exactly this time the federal funding is not only flat, but it's decreasing. That is something of great concern to those of us who are looking at what we can do with advances in the future" (Emery/Rockoff, Baltimore Sun, 1/18). Doug Ulman, president of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, said, "The president and the Congress have clearly not prioritized cancer during the past several years and that is a major problem," adding that Bush and Congress "must keep this nation's research momentum moving forward or we run the risk of going backwards" (Herman, Cox/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 1/18).

The report is available online. Note: You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the report.

Broadcast Coverage
Several broadcast programs reported on the report. Summaries appear below.

• NPR's "All Things Considered": The segment includes comments from Michael Thun, who tracks data for ACS; Tim Byers, deputy director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center; and Bernard Levine, vice president for cancer prevention and population science at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas-Houston (Knox, "All Things Considered," NPR, 1/18). In addition, "All Things Considered" included an interview with Allen Lichter, executive vice president and CEO of the American Society for Clinical Oncology (Block, "All Things Considered," NPR, 1/17).
  
  Audio and a transcript of the first segment is available online. Audio and a transcript of the second segment also is available online.
  
  
• PBS' "NewsHour With Jim Lehrer": The segment includes comments from Harmon Eyre, chief medical officer at ACS (Warner, NewsHour With Jim Lehrer," PBS, 1/17).
  
  Audio of the segment is available online.
  
  
• NBC's "Nightly News": The segment includes comments from Eyre (Bazell, "Nightly News," NBC, 1/17).
  
  Video of the segment is available online.

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Alfacell Corporation Granted U.S. Orphan Drug Designation For ONCONASE(R) For Treatment Of Malignant Mesothelioma

Alfacell Corporation (Nasdaq: ACEL), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel ribonuclease therapeutics for cancer, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan-drug designation in the United States for the company's lead drug candidate, ONCONASE(R) (ranpirnase), for treatment of malignant mesothelioma. Alfacell is evaluating ONCONASE in a confirmatory Phase IIIb clinical trial in unresectable malignant mesothelioma (UMM).

Orphan drug designation permits Alfacell to be awarded seven years of marketing exclusivity for ONCONASE for the malignant mesothelioma indication upon FDA approval for this indication. Other benefits for which Alfacell is eligible with the orphan drug designation include protocol assistance by the FDA in the preparation of a dossier that will meet regulatory requirements, tax credits, research and development grant funding, and reduced filing fees for the marketing application.

"Orphan-drug designation in the United States is an important milestone for everyone associated with Alfacell, including malignant mesothelioma patients, investors and employees," said Kuslima Shogen, the company's chairman and chief executive officer. "This designation represents recognition of the potential of our lead drug candidate by the FDA, in addition to the previously granted fast-track development status in the United States, as well as the orphan-drug designations received in Europe and Australia for malignant mesothelioma. Moreover, it's a significant event for us in what is a transformational year for our company."

The FDA orphan drug designation provides incentives to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to develop drugs for the treatment of diseases affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the United States. Malignant mesothelioma qualifies under this requirement because approximately 4,000 to 5,000 new cases are reported in the United States each year.

About ONCONASE(R)

ONCONASE is a first-in-class therapeutic from Alfacell's proprietary ribonuclease (RNase) technology platform. ONCONASE has been shown in vitro and in vivo to target tumor cells while sparing normal cells. ONCONASE is internalized by endocytosis and released into the cytosol of the cancerous cell, where it selectively degrades tRNA beyond repair. In doing so, ONCONASE inhibits protein synthesis, stops cell cycle proliferation, and induces apoptosis (programmed cell death).

In addition to the ongoing confirmatory Phase IIIb registration study in malignant mesothelioma, the company is conducting an ONCONASE Phase I/II trial in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) and other solid tumors.

About Alfacell Corporation

Alfacell Corporation is a biopharmaceutical company using proprietary ribonuclease (RNase) technology in the discovery, development and commercialization of novel therapeutics for cancer and other life-threatening diseases. For more information, please visit http://www.alfacell.com.

Safe Harbor

This press release includes statements that may constitute "forward- looking" statements, usually containing the words "believe," "estimate," "project," "expect" or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Factors that would cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, uncertainties involved in transitioning from concept to product, uncertainties involving the ability of the Company to finance research and development activities, potential challenges to or violations of patents, uncertainties regarding the outcome of clinical trials, the Company's ability to secure necessary approvals from regulatory agencies, dependence upon third-party vendors, and other risks discussed in the Company's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. By making these forward-looking statements, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release.

Alfacell Corporation
http://www.alfacell.com

Survival In Asbestos-Related Cancer Improved By Chemo Combination

People with mesothelioma - a form of cancer associated with asbestos exposure - have a higher survival rate when treated with a combination of two cancer drugs, a large multicenter study finds.

Mesothelioma, a rare but aggressive form of cancer that occurs in the lining of the lungs, heart and abdomen, is associated with exposure to asbestos. There is no known cure.

In the study, patients receiving pemetrexed and cisplatin - along with the vitamin supplements folic acid and B12 - survived nearly three months longer than patients getting cisplatin alone.

Researchers led by John Green, M.D., at the Clatterbridge Center for Oncology in England, reviewed a study of 448 patients with advanced mesothelioma who were treated with either the single drug or the combination.

"Pemetrexed used in combination with cisplatin significantly increases the length of survival, when compared with cisplatin alone," the researchers say. "Further research is needed into the optimum treatment regimen for pleural mesothelioma."

The review appears in the current issue of The Cochrane Library, a publication of The Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates medical research. Systematic reviews draw evidence-based conclusions about medical practice after considering both the content and quality of existing medical trials on a topic.

The researchers examined data from a clinical trial of 20 treatment centers in Europe, the Americas, Australia and Asia. Eighty-one percent of the patients were men, with an average age of 61. Patients who received the combination treatment survived an average 2.8 months longer.

Patients receiving both medications also reported improved quality of life in terms of fatigue, loss of appetite, pain and cough.

During the early stages of the trial, patients receiving pemetrexed had serious symptoms of toxicity, including drug-related death. Other side effects included blood cell abnormalities, nausea and diarrhea, which decreased in both incidence and severity after the vitamins were added to the treatment. People who work trades such as shipbuilding, railway engineering, construction work and asbestos manufacture have higher rates of mesothelioma than the general public. The cancer may take 10 to 60 years to develop, and the risk does not diminish after exposure to asbestos has stopped. Family members of people exposed to asbestos at work also have an increased risk of developing mesothelioma from asbestos fibers carried home on the clothes of the people they live with.

Daniel Baram, M.D., a pulmonologist at the Lung Cancer Evaluation Center at the State University of New York, said, "Most cases [of mesothelioma] are still from pre-OSHA workplace improvements. I suspect that modern asbestos abatement precautions will avoid most, if not all, future cases. The latency is over 30 years, so we are still diagnosing cases with exposure during World War II and the '40s and '50s."

Mesothelioma is difficult to diagnose, Green said, because "there is a lag of many years between exposure and asbestosis, which is a nonmalignant condition, and a greater lag before the development of overt malignancy."

"There is no way of diagnosing the premalignant phase during the latent period of 15 to 20 years," Green added. "Many of these patients smoke and are in economically disadvantaged communities. Many individuals have moved away from heavy industries and may not admit or know they were exposed to asbestos as young men, with similar issues for their partners."

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 10 percent to 15 percent of schools and other public buildings in the United States contain asbestos insulation.

Although safety measures for working with asbestos have been in place since the 1970s, mesothelioma is projected to account for 65,000 deaths between 2001 and 2050 worldwide, peaking between 2012 and 2015, according to background information in the review.

It is a personal matter as to whether the survival increase for patients receiving the two drugs is worthwhile, Baram said. "It depends in large part on the patient. A 2.8-month mean survival increase means that some patients may get even more than that, though some people will get less. Many, if not most, patients when faced with a disease with a very bad prognosis are often willing to undergo aggressive therapy, although the toxicity is serious and potentially life-threatening."

###

By Lise Millay Stevens, Contributing Writer
Health Behavior News Service

Green J, et al. Pemetrexed disodium in combination with cisplatin versus other cytotoxic agents or supportive care for the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2007, Issue 1.

The Cochrane Collaboration is an international nonprofit, independent organization that produces and disseminates systematic reviews of health care interventions and promotes the search for evidence in the form of clinical trials and other studies of interventions. Visit http://www.cochrane.org/ for more information.

Contact: Lisa Esposito
Center for the Advancement of Health

Benign Or Malignant? MTOR Makes The Decision

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a genetic disorder that results in sufferers developing benign tumors in many parts of their body. It is caused by genetic mutation of either of two genes, TSC1 or TSC2. The proteins encoded by these genes are negative regulators of a signaling pathway that is initiated at the cell surface by a ligand binding to PDGFR and that involves activation of PI3K, AKT, and mTOR. The fact that individuals with TSC develop only benign tumors is somewhat surprising because genetic mutations that cause increased PDGFR, PI3K, and AKT activity are associated with malignant cancer, as are inactivating genetic mutations of other negative regulators of this signaling pathways (including PTEN). In a study appearing online in advance of publication in the March print issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, People's Republic of China, use mouse models of TSC to provide a potential explanation for the fact that individuals with TSC develop only benign tumors.

The lack of malignant tumors in mice expressing decreased levels of TSC1 or TSC2 is associated with decreased PDGFR expression and decreased PI3K and AKT activity, despite increased mTOR activity. Hongbing Zhang and colleagues now show that in mouse cell lines, activation of PI3K or AKT, as well as inhibition of PTEN, results in decreased PDGFR expression and negative feedback to dampen AKT activity, despite increased mTOR activity. Furthermore, inhibiting mTOR restored PDGFR expression levels and AKT activity in mouse cell lines expressing decreased levels of TSC1 or TSC2, and overexpression of active AKT or PDGFR in such cells rendered them able to induce malignant tumors when transplanted into immunocompromised mice. This study therefore demonstrates that increased mTOR activity decreases PDGFR expression and AKT activity in mouse cells expressing decreased levels of TSC1 or TSC2. More importantly, it offers a potential explanation for the observation that humans expressing mutant forms of TSC1 or TSC2 develop only benign tumors.

TITLE: PDGFRs are critical for PI3/Akt activation and negatively regulated by mTOR

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Hongbing Zhang
Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People's Republic of China.

###

JCI table of contents -- February 8, 2006

Contact: Karen Honey
Journal of Clinical Investigation

Anita Roddick Has Hepatitis C

Dame Anita Roddick, the 64-year old British environmental campaigner and founder of Body Shop revealed today that she has Hepatitis C.

"I have Hepatitis C - it's a bit of a bummer but you groan and move on," she says on her website.

According to Dame Anita, she contracted the disease when she received a blood transfusion in 1971 when her daughter Sam was born. However, it was only when she had a blood test recently that the discovery was made. She also has cirrhosis of the liver, one of the long term effects of the disease.

Dame Anita lost no time in adding her voice to the campaign to raise awareness of Hepatitis C and to stimulate more government action and funding. She has just become Patron of the UK's Hepatitis C Trust, a charity set up in 2001 by a group of people who have the disease.

Hepatitis C is a virus that passes from person to person mostly through infected blood. This was the most common route in the UK until 1991 when donated blood began to be screened for the virus.

The virus causes inflammation of the liver (that is literally what "hepatitis" means), and over time begins to limit the important function the liver plays in keeping the body healthy. More recent research has revealed that Hepatitis C also causes damage to other parts of the body, such as the digestive system, the immune system, the brain and the lymphatic system.

Hepatitis C used to be called non-A non-B hepatitis (NANBH) when in the 1980s scientists realised that something like Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B was causing liver damage. It was not until 1989 that they began calling it Hepatitis C, and shortly afterwards a blood screening test for was developed.

The virus is based on RNA which means that it mutates much faster than viruses based on DNA and this makes it hard for the immune system to develop the antibodies that can seek out and destroy the new mutations.

Hepatitis C infections have two stages: acute infection which is the first 6 months after initial infection, and chronic infection. During the acute phase very few symptoms are present, and about 20 per cent of people who become infected manage to shed the virus and do not go on to have chronic infection.

But for the remaining 80 per cent of people who become infected the chronic stage sets in for decades and that's when the serious damage is done. It can take decades for long term effects to show, or symptoms can show almost immediately.

The long term effects of Hepatitis C lead to liver fibrosis and cirrhosis (where the liver becomes scarred), cancer, and liver disease, the latter often requiring a transplant. The timescale in which these things may happen appear to be erratic and bear no relation to symptom severity. Some people can go undiagnosed for years, feel OK, and then find out they have severe fibrosis and cirrhosis.

This is why it can be decades, as in the case of Dame Anita, before people discover they have what has become known as "the silent killer". Diagnosis is also compromised because other symptoms like fatigue, depression, insomnia, tummy pains and upsets, skin irritations and rashes, are mostly put down to other causes.

It is estimated that some 200 million people all over the world have Hepatitis C, with some countries like Egypt having a high prevalence of around 10 per cent of the population, while in Northern Europe the figure is much lower at 1 per cent.

According to Dame Anita, it is very important for people to find out if they have the disease, which the Hepatitis C Trust estimates to be about half a million people in the UK, most of whom have no idea they are infected. Although there is no cure, care and treatments for the symptoms do exist, and "everyone with hep C deserves proper care and treatment if they want it," she says.

"It's especially important that people like me, who are over fifty and who had blood a transfusion before 1991, come forward for testing," says Dame Anita, who stresses there is also a priority in terms of stopping the transmission of Hepatitis C, in raising awareness and overcoming the stigma that surrounds it, which like the case of HIV, "stops people getting a fair deal."

Click here for Hepatitis C Trust (UK)

Written by: Catharine Paddock
Writer: Medical News Today

Tumors' Genetic Profile Captured By Technology

A study led by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Broad Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University provides the first demonstration of a practical method of screening tumors for cancer-related gene abnormalities that might be treated with "targeted" drugs.

The findings, published online on the Nature Genetics Web site, may help relieve a bottleneck between scientists' expanding knowledge of the genetic mutations associated with cancer and the still nascent ability of doctors to use that knowledge to benefit patients. The results constitute an important step toward the era of "personalized medicine," in which cancer therapy will be guided by the particular set of genetic mutations within each patient's tumor, the authors suggest.

"It's universally recognized that cancer is a disease of the genome, of mutations within genes responsible for cell growth and survival, and a great deal of effort has gone into finding those mutations, to the point where several hundred to a thousand are now known," said the study's senior author, Levi Garraway, MD, PhD, of Dana-Farber and the Broad Institute. "The challenge has been how to determine which of them are involved in each of the hundreds of kinds of cancer that occur in humans -- and to develop accurate, affordable methods of detecting key mutations in tumor samples. This study suggests that such a method is feasible on a large scale."

The authors took advantage of a scientific serendipity to devise a simple test to detect important cancer mutations. Mutations in oncogenes (genes linked to cancer) do not occur randomly; rather, they seem to arise most frequently in certain regions of the oncogenes. As a result, researchers didn't necessarily have to scan the entire length of each gene, but could focus instead on the sections most likely to harbor mutations.

They performed these screenings with a technology known as high-throughput genotyping, a fast, relatively inexpensive way of profiling gene mutations within cells. It involves extracting DNA from a tumor sample, copying this material thousands of times, depositing segments of it in tiny "wells" on a small plate, and mixing in reagents that reveal whether each segment carries a specific mutation. Automated equipment then reads the plates to determine which mutations are present in each sample.

In the study, the researchers scanned 1,000 human tumor samples for 238 known mutations in 17 specific oncogenes. (Those 17 were chosen because they are mostly "classic, well-known" contributors to cancer, Garraway stated.) They found at least one mutation in 298 of the samples, or 30 percent of the entire group, which was in keeping with the rates reported in scientific literature for the types of cancer examined.

"Mutations were identified in the percentages we expected," Garraway said, "which indicates this technique is on-target for the mutations we were interested in. Overall, the technique worked very well: we were able to obtain mutation profiles that were accurate, sensitive, and cost-effective." The cost of processing each sample was between $50 and $100, although the figure would probably be somewhat higher if the technology were used in cancer clinics to test for large numbers of oncogene mutations.

The scans produced some surprises as well. Mutations were found in several types of tumors where they had not been previously recognized. Researchers also discovered an unexpectedly large number of instances where the same set of mutations co-occurred within tumor cells, suggesting that oncogenes often work in partnership.

As promising as high-throughput genotyping is for cancer treatment and research, its capacity will need to be expanded so it can handle larger numbers of mutations. The next step, Garraway explained, would be to work with clinical investigators to explore whether use of the technology is feasible in a clinical setting and whether it actually improves doctors' ability to classify and treat individual tumors.

"We've shown the practical potential of this technique," observed Garraway, who is also an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School. "It is a step toward the day when cancer patients will routinely have their tumors scanned for specific mutations, and treatment will be based on the cancer's particular genetic profile."

###

Major funding for the study was provided by grants from Genentech, Inc., the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, the Prostate Cancer Foundation, the Burroughs-Wellcome Fund, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research.

The co-lead authors of the paper are Roman Thomas, MD, formerly of Dana-Farber and the Broad Institute, and Alissa Baker of Dana-Farber, who contacted cancer researchers around the world to obtain the 1,000 tumor samples used in the study. Co-authors include Matthew Meyerson, MD, PhD, also of Dana-Farber and the Broad Institute, and researchers from Dana-Farber; the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Nagoya City University Medical School, in Nagoya, Japan; the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California at Los Angeles; Brigham and Women's Hospital; University Hospital of Zurich, Switzerland; Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; the National Cancer Institute; National Naval Medical Center; the Medical University of Vienna, Austria; the Center of Molecular Medicine at the Austrian Academy of Sciences; the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia; the Navartis Institutes for Biomedical Research; Harvard Medical School; the Max-Planck Institute for Neurological Research in Cologne, Germany; and the University of Cologne.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (http://www.dana-farber.org/) is a principal teaching affiliate of the Harvard Medical School and is among the leading cancer research and care centers in the United States. It is a founding member of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC), designated a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute.

Contact: Robbin Ray
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Genta Cites Publication Of Study Showing Improved Outcomes In CLL Patients Treated With Genasense(R) Plus Chemotherapy

Genta Incorporated (Nasdaq: GNTA) today announced the publication of findings from a Phase 3 trial of the Company's lead anticancer drug, Genasense(R) (oblimersen sodium) Injection, when used in combination with chemotherapy for treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The findings were published on-line this week in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, ahead of its tentatively scheduled print publication date of March 20, 2007.

Conducted at 100 centers in the U.S., Europe, Canada, Australia and South America, patients with relapsed or refractory CLL received fludarabine plus cyclophosphamide (Flu/Cy) chemotherapy with or without Genasense. This trial -- the first randomized study ever conducted in this population -- achieved its primary endpoint, which was a statistically significant increase in the proportion of patients who achieved a complete or nodular partial response (CR/nPR) (17% vs. 7%; P=0.025).

Patients who achieved CR/nPR experienced the disappearance of all predefined CLL symptoms, including fever, night sweats, fatigue, abdominal discomfort due to an enlarged spleen, and impaired mobility due to swollen lymph nodes.

The key secondary endpoint -- duration of CR/nPR -- was also significantly longer for patients treated with Genasense (median = not reached but will exceed 36+ months in the Genasense group vs. 22 months for patients treated with chemotherapy alone).

Among patients who achieved a CR/nPR with Genasense, 70 percent were alive at three years versus 38 percent for the control arm. Among patients who achieved a partial response, 45 percent who received Genasense were alive at three years compared to 33 percent for the control arm.

The lead and senior authors of the article are, respectively, Dr. Susan O'Brien, Professor of Medicine, Department of Leukemia, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, and Dr. Kanti R. Rai, Chief, Hematology and Oncology, North Shore/Long Island Jewish Medical Center, and Professor of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine. An abstract of this article that addresses safety and efficacy in the trial can be accessed at: http://www.jco.org/cgi/content/abstract/JCO.2006.07.1191v1.

About Genasense

Genasense inhibits production of Bcl-2, a protein made by cancer cells that is thought to block chemotherapy-induced apoptosis (programmed cell death). By reducing the amount of Bcl-2 in cancer cells, Genasense may enhance the effectiveness of current anticancer treatment. Genta is pursuing a broad clinical development program with Genasense evaluating its potential to treat various forms of cancer.

About Genta

Genta Incorporated is a biopharmaceutical company with a diversified product portfolio that is focused on delivering innovative products for the treatment of patients with cancer. The Company's research platform is anchored by two major programs that center on oligonucleotides (RNA- and DNA- based medicines) and small molecules. Genasense(R) (oblimersen sodium) Injection is the Company's lead compound from its oligonucleotide program. Genta has completed a pending Marketing Authorization Application to the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) for use of Genasense plus dacarbazine for treatment of patients with advanced melanoma. The leading drug in Genta's small molecule program is Ganite(R) (gallium nitrate injection), which the Company is exclusively marketing in the U.S. for treatment of symptomatic patients with cancer related hypercalcemia that is resistant to hydration. For more information about Genta, please visit our website at: http://www.genta.com.

Safe Harbor

This press release may contain forward-looking statements with respect to business conducted by Genta Incorporated. By their nature, forward-looking statements and forecasts involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements about: the Company's ability to obtain necessary regulatory approval for Genasense(R) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") or European Medicines Agency ("EMEA");

-- the safety and efficacy of the Company's products or product candidates;

-- the Company's assessment of its clinical trials;

-- the commencement and completion of clinical trials;

-- the Company's ability to develop, manufacture, license and sell its products or product candidates;

-- the Company's ability to enter into and successfully execute license and collaborative agreements, if any;

-- the adequacy of the Company's capital resources and cash flow projections, and the Company's ability to obtain sufficient financing to maintain the Company's planned operations;

-- the adequacy of the Company's patents and proprietary rights;

-- the impact of litigation that has been brought against the Company and its officers and directors and any proposed settlement of such litigation;

-- the Company's ability to regain compliance with the NASDAQ's listing qualifications; and

-- the other risks described under Certain Risks and Uncertainties Related to the Company's Business, as contained in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements. There are a number of factors that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially. For a discussion of those risks and uncertainties, please see the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for 2005 and its most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q.

Genta Incorporated
http://www.genta.com

States, France Take Actions On HPV Vaccination

About two dozen states are "struggling to decide" how to recommend girls ages 11 and 12 receive an HPV vaccine, the Chicago Tribune reports. One option would be to provide state funding to pay for vaccines or force insurance carriers to do so, and the second option would be to add the HPV vaccine to the list of mandatory vaccinations for admission to school (Peres/Japsen, Chicago Tribune, 2/11). Merck's HPV vaccine Gardasil and GlaxoSmithKline's HPV vaccine Cervarix in clinical trials have been shown to be 100% effective in preventing infection with HPV strains 16 and 18, which together cause about 70% of cervical cancer cases. FDA in July 2006 approved Gardasil for sale and marketing to girls and women ages nine to 26, and CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices later that month voted unanimously to recommend that girls ages 11 and 12 receive the vaccine. GSK in April plans to file for FDA approval of Cervarix, and it expects approval by the end of this year (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 2/8). Merck has "fanned out" across the U.S. to urge states to either mandate HPV vaccines for young girls or to spend millions of dollars of public funds to purchase the vaccine for use in health clinics, the Washington Post reports. The company also has launched a television advertising campaign about HPV, cervical cancer and Gardasil. "We're certainly very proud of our efforts," Margaret McGlynn, president of Merck's vaccines division, said, adding, "We spent over 10 years developing Gardasil. We think this is a very important advance in women's health" (Gardner, Washington Post, 2/11). France and several states recently have taken actions on HPV vaccination. Summaries appear below.

• California: A bill (AB 16) that would require all California girls entering the sixth grade to receive an HPV vaccine, with an exception for girls whose parents file a letter stating that participation is against their beliefs, has some parents "decrying" what they believe to be an "incursion on parental rights," the Los Angeles Times reports. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) has not taken a public stand on the bill, but his proposed fiscal year budget for 2007 includes about $11 million in additional funding to cover the vaccination for 50,000 Medi-Cal beneficiaries ages 19 to 26 (Uribarri, Los Angeles Times, 2/12).
  
  
• New York: State Assembly member Amy Paulin (D) plans to introduce a measure this week that will mandate the HPV vaccine to girls ages 11 and 12, Long Island Newsday reports. Christine Anderson, spokesperson for Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D), said whether the HPV vaccine "will be mandated is something that will be looked at" by the governor, adding that $1.5 million has been included in the executive budget "to promote and expand access to the vaccine" for low-income women and girls. If the budget is approved, the funds would provide the vaccine to an estimated 4,000 women and girls annually (Ricks, Long Island Newsday, 2/11).
  
  
• Vermont: Rep. Denise Barnard (D) recently introduced a bill (H 256) that would require girls entering the sixth grade to receive an HPV vaccine, the Barre-Montpelier Times Argus reports (Larkin, Barre-Montpelier Times Argus, 2/11). The measure would allow girls to opt out of the requirement if their parent or guardian submits in writing that the "person, parent or guardian has religious beliefs or moral convictions opposed to immunization" and has received information about the vaccine and the link between HPV and cervical cancer (H 256 text, 2/12).

Editorials

• Chicago Tribune: FDA approval of Gardasil has "ripped open a riveting debate about how far lawmakers should go to protect us from ourselves" a Tribune editorial says. As "emotions hea[t] up, a lot of misinformation and unnecessary anxieties are being stirred," the editorial says, adding, "For now, Gardasil appears to be a very important and welcome life-saving step in the fight against cancer" (Chicago Tribune, 2/11).
  
  
• Washington Post: The debate over requiring girls to be vaccinated "should be about what's in the best interests of ... young women" and should "not be about the interests of the maker of the vaccine," a Post editorial says. According the editorial "the two are being confused" because of Merck's lobbying campaign. "The best move Merck can now make is to back off," the Post says (Washington Post, 2/11).

France
Health Minister Xavier Bertrand on Friday announced that France will subsidize the cost of Gardasil during the first half of 2007, Reuters reports. It is a "major step towards improving the health of the public," Bertrand said, adding, "We have already got the process under way, and before the end of the first half of 2007, before July, it will be subsidized" (Reuters, 2/9).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

American Lung Association Applauds Introduction Of Legislation That Would Give Food And Drug Administration Authority Over Tobacco Products

The American Lung Association commends Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA), Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), Representative Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Representative Tom Davis (R-VA) for the introduction of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, strong, bi-partisan legislation that would give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authority over tobacco products. Once enacted into law, this measure will end the special protection enjoyed by the tobacco companies for decades and seriously reduce the devastating impact of tobacco use in the United States.

Tobacco-related diseases are the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, causing more than 438,000 deaths each year. Each day, more than 1,140 kids become regular smokers -- and one-third of them will ultimately die from their habit. The tobacco companies spend more than $15.15 billion a year marketing their deadly products -- preying on our children, who make up the "replacement generation" of smokers.

In August 2006, U.S. District Court Judge Gladys Kessler correctly concluded that tobacco companies have engaged in a long-term, fraudulent scheme to mislead the American people about the health risks of smoking, the addictiveness of their products, and their tactics for marketing their products to children. In her decision, Judge Kessler wrote that the tobacco companies have "marketed and sold their lethal products with zeal, with deception, with a single-minded focus on their financial success, and without regard for the human tragedy or social costs that success exacted." Unless this important legislation becomes law, the tobacco companies will continue to aggressively market their products to children and lie about the health consequences of smoking.

The American Lung Association is committed to working with Congress to ensure that the legislation becomes law in 2007.

American Lung Association
American Lung Association

Aida Pharmaceuticals' Researchers Meet To Formally Begin Phase II Trials Of Anti-Cancer Treatment

Aida Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: AIDA), one of mainland China's leading pharmaceutical companies, today announced the Company's subsidiary, Shanghai Qiaer Biotechnology, held a meeting on February 10, 2007 with affiliated research hospitals and scientists to formally begin the large-scale Phase II trials of Rh-Apo2L throughout mainland China. The meeting was held in Shanghai and included over seventy scientists, doctors, administrators and researchers specializing in cancer therapy from twenty-four hospitals throughout mainland China including Beijing, Shanghai and Zhejiang.

Aida Pharmaceuticals and Shanghai Qiaer Biotechnology were approved by State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) to begin the Phase II clinical trials of Rh-Apo2L in December of last year, making Rh-Apo2L the first and only anticancer therapy of its kind in the world to be approved for Phase II clinical trials. The Phase II trials will analyze the effect of Rh-Apo2L on tumors chosen from the following cancers: advanced inert lymphoma, malignant melanoma, soft tissue sarcoma, pancreatic cancer, kidney cancer, non-small cell lung cancer and colorectal cancer. The trials will analyze the specific efficacy of Rh-Apo2L in over 100 patients. Additionally, the Company will continue to analyze the dosage and effectiveness of the drug as well as other drugs' interactions with Rh-Apo2L. Mr. Jin Biao, Chairman and CEO of Aida Pharmaceuticals, stated, "We are pleased to formally announce the beginning of the large-scale Phase II clinical trials for Rh-Apo2L. We are grateful for the hard work of our research scientists and for their detailed preparation of the clinical plan. We look forward to its implementation and the successful cooperation of all the hospitals and professionals in the Phase II clinical trials. Aida and Qiaer's management teams remain confident we will complete the clinical trials of Rh-Apo2L on schedule as previously announced, and we anticipate bringing the drug to market in early 2008."

About Rh-Apo2L:

Rh-Apo2L is Category A, anti-tumor biological agent researched and developed by Shanghai Qiaer Biotechnology Co., Ltd., a newly acquired subsidiary of Aida Pharmaceuticals. Rh-Apo2L is a broad spectrum genetic cell apoptosis (cell- killing) agent, which the Company expects to be used for the treatment of a variety of cancerous tumors. Research and Development of Rh- Apo2L is sponsored and supported by several national and municipal funds. One patent of Rh-Apo2L has been granted by Chinese Patent Bureau, two additional patents are currently in process.

About Aida Pharmaceuticals:

Aida Pharmaceuticals is a product-focused pharmaceuticals company engaged in the formulation, clinical testing, registration, manufacture, sales and marketing of advanced pharmaceutical and genetic products in mainland China. The Company's mission is to discover, develop and market meaningful new therapies that improve human health. Aida Pharmaceuticals, in operation since March 1999, is headquartered in Hangzhou, China with manufacturing, distribution and sales points throughout mainland China. Aida is GMP certified in China and ISO9002 certified for quality assurance and ISO14000 certified for ecologically-friendly practices. Aida is now producing and marketing a patented prescription drug in China: Etimicin Sulfate. It is the first antibiotic developed in China and is regarded as a category "A" drug by the State Food and Drug Administration of China.

Safe Harbor Statement:

Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995:

This press release includes certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on Aida Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s management's current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties and changes in circumstances. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are based upon information available to Aida Pharmaceuticals, Inc. as of the date of the press release, and it assumes no obligation to update or alter its forward looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. These forward-looking statements may relate to, among other things, plans and timing for the introduction or enhancement of our services and products, clinical trial results, statements about future market conditions, supply and demand conditions, and other expectations, intentions and plans contained in this press release that are not historical fact. Further information on risks or other factors that could affect Aida Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s results of operations is detailed in its filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission available at http://www.sec.gov.

Aida Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
http://www.aidapharma.com

Oxidative Stress Stimulates P38 MAPK-Mediated Tumor Suppression

A new study finds that p38-alpha MAPK can sense oxidative stress in cells and respond by inhibiting tumor formation. The research, published in the February issue of the journal Cancer Cell, published by Cell Press, provides exciting new insight into the specific mechanisms by which ГЎ suppresses the development of cancer and identifies possible targets for development of new anticancer therapeutics.

The MAPK p38-alpha is a signaling protein that plays a critical role in coordinating cellular responses to stress, including oxidative stress that is characterized by the accumulation of increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) within the cell. Although the p38-alpha pathway has been implicated in tumor suppression, the mechanisms involved are not well understood. Dr. Angel R. Nebreda from CNIO (Spanish National Cancer Center) in Madrid and colleagues induced malignant transformation in cells from mice lacking p38-alpha and in wild-type cells to study the importance of p38-alpha in tumorigenesis.

The deficiency of p38-alpha caused increased cell proliferation, decreased cell death via apoptosis, and enhancement of other characteristics associated with malignancy. Importantly, reintroduction of p38-alpha to the deficient cells reversed this phenotype. The researchers observed that the transformed cells lacking p38-alpha had much higher ROS levels than the wild-type cells. Further, ROS-stimulated p38-alpha activity in the wild-type cells stimulated apoptosis, whereas the cells lacking p38-alpha were resistant to ROS-induced apoptosis. The researchers point out that this finding may have clinical significance, as they observed that increased ROS levels were also linked to tumorigenic potential in several human cancer cell lines that were examined.

The authors suggest that it may be possible for cancer cells to escape the tumor-suppressive functions of p38-alpha by desensitizing p38-alpha to oxidative stress. Indeed, many tumor cells exhibit increased expression of GST proteins that are known to specifically inhibit p38-alpha activation by ROS. Reduced expression of GST in cancer cells correlated with increased p38-alpha activity and apoptosis, while enhanced expression of GST led to reduced p38-alpha activation, higher ROS levels, and enhanced malignancy of cancer cells.

Taken together, the findings suggest that p38-alpha plays a critical role in the negative regulation of tumor formation by triggering apoptosis in response to oncogene-induced ROS accumulation and that cancer cells may elude this protective mechanism by uncoupling ROS from p38-alpha. "Our results illustrate a mechanism used by cancer cells for the inactivation of tumor suppressor pathways and suggest that restoring the ROS-induced activation of p38 MAPK, for example, by targeting GST proteins, may be of potential therapeutic interest," concludes Dr. Nebreda.

###

The researchers include Ignacio Dolado of CNIO (Spanish National Cancer Center) in Madrid, Spain and EMBL in Heidelberg, Germany; Aneta Swat and Nuria Ajenjo of CNIO (Spanish National Cancer Center) in Madrid, Spain; Gabriella De Vita of CEINGE in Naples, Italy; Ana Cuadrado and Angel R. Nebreda of CNIO (Spanish National Cancer Center) in Madrid, Spain.

This work was supported by pre-doctoral fellowships from EMBL and the Spanish Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia as well as grants from Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia and the FundaciГіn CientГ­fica de la AECC (Spain).

Dolado et al.: "p38-alpha MAP kinase as a sensor of reactive oxygen species in tumorigenesis." Publishing in Cancer Cell 11, 191-205, February 2007. DOI 10.1016/j.ccr.2006.12.013 http://www.cancercell.org

Contact: Erin Doonan
Cell Press

Success Of Electrical Treatment For Tumor Removal Shown By Hebrew University, U.S. Researchers

A potential breakthrough in minimally invasive surgical removal of tumors has been demonstrated using an innovative technique involving microsecond electrical pulses that can punch permanent nanoscale holes in the membranes of targeted cells without harming adjacent healthy tissue.

The technique, known as irreversible electroporation (IRE), was developed by a research team headed by Boris Rubinsky, currently on leave as professor of bioengineering and mechanical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, and now head of the Center for Biomedical Engineering in the Service of Humanity and Society at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The success of a large-scale study on pigs who were treated using the technique is described in the February issue of the journal Technology in Cancer Research and Treatment.

"I've been working in this area of minimally invasive surgery for 30 years now," said Rubinsky, lead author of the paper in the journal. "I truly think that this will be viewed as one of the most important advances in the treatment of tumors in years. I am very excited about the potential of this technique. It may have tremendous applications in many areas of medicine and surgery."

Rubinsky co-authored the paper with Dr. Gary Onik, director of surgical imaging at Florida Hospital Celebration Health. They founded the Oncobionic Company two years ago to commercialize IRE. Oncobionic is in the process of being sold to AngioDynamics, a New York-based manufacturer of medical devices for minimally invasive surgery.

It was first reported in the early 1970s that the application to cells of very fast electrical pulses вЂ" in the microsecond and millisecond range вЂ" creates an electrical field that causes nanoscale pores to open in the cell membrane (electroporation). But research since then has mainly focused on reversible electroporation, which uses voltages low enough to temporarily increase the cell membrane's permeability. The holes in the cell membrane created by reversible electroporation close up shortly after treatment, allowing the cell to survive.

"This concept of reversible electroporation really caught on in modern biotechnology, especially over the last decade," said Rubinsky. "It is used primarily to help get genes and drugs into cells (but is not effective in killing "target" cells directly). The field of irreversible electroporation was pretty much forgotten."

Irreversible electroporation uses electrical pulses that are slightly longer and stronger than reversible electroporation. With IRE, the holes in the cell membrane do not reseal, causing the cell to die. IRE utilizes a range of electrical current that causes permanent damage to cell membranes without generating heat and thermal damage.

The advantage to this, say the researchers, is that IRE overcomes the limitations of current minimally invasive surgical techniques that use extreme heat, such as hyperthermia or radiofrequency, or extreme cold, such as cryosurgery, to destroy tumorous cells. They point out that this type of temperature damage to cells also causes structural damage to proteins and the surrounding connective tissue. For liver cancer, for example, the bile duct is at risk for damage. For prostate cancer, the urethra and surrounding nerve tissue is often affected.

Irreversible electroporation, on the other hand, acts just on the targeted cell membrane, leaving collagen fibers and other vascular tissue structures intact. The researchers said that leaving the tissue's "scaffolding" in place in this manner allows healthy cells to regrow far more quickly than if everything in the region were destroyed.

In the new study, the researchers set out to demonstrate that the IRE technique could produce reliable and predictable results in a large animal model. They performed the IRE surgical technique on 14 healthy female pigs under general anesthesia, using the same procedures as if the patients were human.

They showed that selected cell membranes were destroyed, while untargeted adjacent tissue healed remarkably quickly. Although the tissue chosen for destruction in this study was healthy, the researchers found in a prior cell culture study that IRE effectively kills human liver cancer tissue.

A further chronic drawback of heat or cryo (cold) treatments for cancer is the difficulty in treating cells that are immediately adjacent to the blood vessels. Because blood maintains a relatively stable temperature, it actually transfers heat or cold away from a treatment area in an attempt to return the region to a normal temperature range. That means some cancerous cells might actually survive treatment.

"That counts for a lot of failures when treating liver cancers," said Onik. "With IRE, you can destroy cancerous cells right next to the blood vessels. It's a more complete treatment. In my clinical experience, this is about as good as it gets. We've been using other techniques for a long time. This provides significant improvements over other treatments."

"While we are obviously very excited about this advance in tumor removal, we are still in the early stages of our learning curve," Onik cautioned. "There is always the potential for unexpected results."

The IRE technology was cleared for human use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in November 2006. Onik is scheduled to begin human clinical trials for IRE this summer.

About HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM

HistoryThe dream of establishing a "University of the Jewish People" in the Land of Israel formed an integral part of the early Zionist vision. With the acquisition of the Gray Hill estate atop Mount Scopus, and the laying of the cornerstone for the university-to-be in 1918, the realization of the dream was on its way. Seven years later, on April 1, 1925, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem was opened at a festive ceremony attended, among others, by leaders of world Jewry including the University''s founding father, Dr. Chaim Weizmann, distinguished academics and communal leaders of the Yishuv, and British dignitaries including Lord Balfour, Viscount Allenby and Sir Herbert Samuel. The First Board of Governors of the University, chaired by Dr. Weizmann, included such luminaries as Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, Martin Buber, Harry Sacher and Felix M. Warburg as well as leading men of letters.

HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM
Media Relations
Mt. Scopus
Jerusalem 91905
http://www.huji.ac.il