RandyW Posted May 12, 2006 Posted May 12, 2006 New ONCONASE® Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Data Presented at ISMRM Annual Meeting Thursday May 11, 8:30 am ET BLOOMFIELD, N.J., May 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alfacell Corporation (Nasdaq: ACEL - News) announced today that Intae Lee, Ph.D., Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, is presenting new data on the effectiveness of ONCONASE® (ranpirnase) against non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) at the 14th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM), held from May 6-12 in Seattle, WA. Dr. Lee's presentation is entitled, "Ranpirnase-induced Changes in Blood Flow, Lactate, and ATP Levels in A549 Human NSCLC Measured by Non-invasive Near Infra-Red Spectroscopy and Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy." ADVERTISEMENT "In these studies, we used non-invasive methods to examine changes in blood flow, levels of biochemical metabolites, and cellular responses in vitro and in vivo. Using a Near Infra-Red Spectroscopy method, we found significant increases in tumor perfusion, without changes in blood flow of skeletal muscles, during the first 120 minutes after treatment with ONCONASE. At the same time, there was approximately a 20% decrease of lactate levels, caused by the removal of tumor acidic metabolites by ONCONASE. ATP levels were also decreased, likely due to inhibition of QO2 in the A549 tumor cell lines," stated Dr. Lee. "Our findings indicate that ONCONASE induced apoptosis in apoptosis-resistant A549 human NSCLC cells. In our animal studies, ONCONASE significantly reduced tumor hypertension, the major physiological barrier to drug delivery. Multiple small doses of ONCONASE, which were more effective than one large single dose in inhibiting tumor growth, led to increased delivery of ONCONASE into tumor regions. Importantly, these effective multiple small doses of ONCONASE did not reduce body weight when compared to the saline treated control group. By monitoring the lactate levels by non- localized 1H in vivo MRS, we now have a biomarker to measure the efficacy of ONCONASE on NSCLC." Dr. Lee concluded, "These results continue to illustrate the remarkable effect of ONCONASE against NSCLC." About Alfacell Corporation Alfacell Corporation is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel therapeutics for cancer, using its proprietary ribonuclease (RNase) technology platform. ONCONASE® (ranpirnase), Alfacell's lead investigational drug candidate, is currently being evaluated in several studies, including a Phase IIIb trial for malignant mesothelioma (MM) and a Phase I / II trial in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). For more information, please visit www.alfacell.com. About Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) According to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide among men and women. NSCLC is the most common form of lung cancer, accounting for 80 percent of all lung cancer cases. In 2004, NSCLC accounted for approximately 160,000 deaths in the United States. According to industry analysts, the NSCLC drug market is projected to exceed $4 billion by 2012. 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. Contact: Alfacell Corporation: Investor/Media Relations: Kuslima Shogen Elite Financial Communications Group Robert Love Dodi Handy (973) 748-8082 (407) 585-1080 info@alfacell.com acel@efcg.net Quote
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