NEW YORK, Jan. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Two groundbreaking preclinical studies demonstrate for the first time that encapsulated mouse kidney cancer cells inhibit the growth of freely-growing cancer cells of the same or different type in a laboratory dish and in tumor-bearing animals. These findings support the hypothesis that cancer cells entrapped in seaweed-based gel, called "macrobeads," send biological feedback or signals to freely-growing tumors outside the macrobead to slow or stop their growth. Both studies are published in the on-line January 25, 2011 issue of Cancer Research, a publication of the American Association of Cancer Research.
This first-of-its-kind cancer macrobead approach to biological anti-tumor therapy has been tested extensively in the laboratory and also used to treat naturally-occurring, treatment-resistant cancers in more than 40 veterinary patients. The results have included slowed tumor growth or, in some cases, necrosis and elimination of tumors and the restoration of a normal animal lifespan. Cancer macrobead therapy has proceeded to human clinical testing. A Phase 1 trial in more than 30 patients evaluated the safety of macrobeads implanted in the abdominal cavity as a biological treatment of end-stage, treatment-resistant cancer. Based on the safety profile data, Phase 2 efficacy trials are in progress in patients with colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer and prostate cancer.
"Macrobead therapy holds promise as a new option in cancer treatment because it makes use of normal biological mechanisms and avoids the toxicities associated with traditional chemotherapy," said Barry H. Smith, MD, PhD, Director of The Rogosin Institute, Professor of Clinical Surgery at the Weill Cornell Medical College and lead author of the studies. "The results of our research show that this approach is not specific to tumor type or species so that, for example, mouse cells can be used to treat several different human tumors and human cells can be used to treat several different animal tumors."
"Because cancer and other diseases are their own biological systems, we believe that the future of effective disease treatment must likewise be biological and system-based," said Stuart Subotnick, CEO of Metromedia Bio-Science LLC. "Many of the existing therapies are narrow, targeted approaches that fail to treat diseases comprehensively. In contrast, our unique macrobead technology delivers an integrated cell system that alters disease processes and utilizes the body's natural defense mechanisms. The goal is to repair the body and not merely treat the symptoms."
Study Background
The Rogosin Institute developed the cell encapsulation technology that facilitated production of the macrobead and applied this technology in conducting the preclinical studies. Findings in the studies to date are consistent with the hypothesis that when macrobeads are implanted in a host, the encapsulated cells are isolated from the host's immune system but continue to maintain their functionality. In addition to the standard preclinical in vivo and in vitro experiments, a clinical veterinary study was conducted in cats and dogs suffering from various spontaneous (non-induced) cancers. More than 40 animals were treated with the macrobead technology. Consistent results, measured both in terms of tumor response and animal well-being, occurred with prostate, liver and breast cancer, as well as lymphoma. Additional research revealed that regardless of the animal specie or type of cancer cell that was encapsulated, the macrobead technology inhibited cancer growth across all species and cancer types tested.
About Metromedia Bio-Science LLC
Metromedia Bio-Science LLC, in conjunction with The Rogosin Institute, utilizes the novel cell encapsulation technology to conduct research into the treatment of various diseases, including cancer and diabetes, and the evaluation of disease therapies. Metromedia Bio-Science LLC is an affiliate of Metromedia Company, a diversified partnership founded by the late John W. Kluge and Stuart Subotnick.
About The Rogosin Institute
The Rogosin Institute is an independent not-for-profit treatment and research center associated with New York-Presbyterian Hospital (NYPH) and Weill Cornell Medical College. It is one of the nation's leading research and treatment centers for kidney disease, providing services from early stage disease to those requiring dialysis and transplantation. It also has programs in diabetes, hypertension and lipid disorders. The Institute's cancer research program, featuring the macrobeads, began in 1995. The Rogosin Institute is unique in its combination of the best in clinical care with research into new and better ways to prevent and treat disease.
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SOURCE Metromedia Bio-Science LLC
