Introgen Therapeutics Inc. has published data from preclinical studies evaluating the impact of Advexin in combination with chemotherapy (docetaxel) on head and neck cancer tumour cells. Data show that the combination resulted in potent tumour cell killing.

Introgen researchers and collaborators at Wayne Sate University, the Karmanos Cancer Institute located in Detroit, Michigan and the University of California - Irvine conducted the studies and the data appear in the current issue of The Laryngoscope. Advexin currently is in phase 3 trials in patients with recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. The studies reported were conducted to evaluate Advexin's utility in a number of treatment regimens, including single-agent therapy and as part of combination therapy with a variety of chemotherapeutic agents.

These studies show that the combination of Advexin and docetaxel resulted in increased levels of programmed cell death in head and neck tumour cells. The combination of docetaxel and Advexin increased the expression of p53, the active component of Advexin, decreased the expression of several genes that drive cell growth and division, and increased the expression of genes that cause cancer cells to die, suggesting a likely mechanism for the increased programmed cell death which was observed. The results also suggest that docetaxel facilitates Advexin's entry into the cell.

George H. Yoo, associate professor in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Wayne State University and the lead author on the paper, commented, "Patients with head and neck cancer generally have poor outcomes. These patients need new treatment options that can provide improved outcomes and better quality of life during treatment. The results of these studies add to a growing body of data that support Advexin's potential in the treatment of head and neck cancer."

Robert E. Sobol, Introgen's senior vice president, Medical and Scientific Affairs said, "Recurrent head and neck cancer is difficult to treat, and patients with this disease represent a significant unmet medical need. Advexin may provide a new approach to treating head and neck cancer as well as other cancers."

Introgen is a leading developer of biopharmaceutical products designed to induce therapeutic protein expression using non-integrating gene agents for the treatment of cancer and other diseases.