On October 21, 2013 OXiGENE reported the presentation of data from a preclinical study of ZYBRESTAT (fosbretabulin tromethamine/combretastatin A-4 phosphate or CA4P) demonstrating statistically significant differences between the treatment arm and the control arm in a model of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs). The data were presented at the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper)-NCI-EORTC AACR-NCI-EORTC (Free AACR-NCI-EORTC Whitepaper) International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics (EORTC-NCI-AACR) (Free ASGCT Whitepaper) (Free EORTC-NCI-AACR Whitepaper), Boston, MA, in a poster session on October 20, 2013 (Press release OXiGENE, OCT 21, 2013, View Source [SID:1234500303]).
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The poster, titled "Combretastatin A-4 Phosphate (CA4P) is effective for the treatment of functional pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) in a transgenic mouse model," was presented by ZiQiang Yuan, MD, Research Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Steven K. Libutti, MD, FACS, Professor of Surgery and Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Montefiore Medical Center, is the senior author.
This preclinical study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of systemic administration of ZYBRESTAT or CA4P for the treatment of functional insulinomas in a transgenic mouse model of PNETs. PNETs are highly vascularized tumors which originate in the pancreas. Functional PNETs make hormones that can cause a cascade of disease symptoms, resulting in significant morbidity for the patient. An insulinoma is a PNET that causes the over-secretion of the hormone insulin.
The treatment group received ZYBRESTAT three times per week for four weeks, and the control group received a placebo. After four weeks, tumor size, serum insulin levels and other efficacy parameters, including apoptosis (cell death), cell proliferation and effects on tumor vasculature, were assessed. Key results were as follows.
Treatment with ZYBRESTAT resulted in a significant and sustained decrease in circulating insulin, with maximum effect seen by day 17 (p < 0.0001).
The reduction in insulin was accompanied by a significantly reduced tumor size in the treated group compared to the placebo group (p=0.0128).
Treatment with ZYBRESTAT was shown to disrupt tumor vasculature, induce apoptosis (cell death) and inhibit tumor cell proliferation.
ZYBRESTAT was shown to be well tolerated, with no obvious toxicity.