Cancer Treatments Using Nanotechnology will Move Closer to Human Clinical Trials under NCI Initiative
FREDERICK, Md., March 30, 2009 – Two new nanotechnology concepts will undergo preclinical characterization as part of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Advanced Technology Partnerships Initiative to accelerate the development of new treatments for cancer patients.
NCI has entered into separate agreements with Azaya Therapeutics Inc. and Lankenau Institute for Medical Research and its collaborating institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to perform preclinical characterization of the companies’ proprietary nanotechnologies as a prelude to early-phase human clinical trials.
Under the Azaya agreement, the NCI’s Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory (NCL)—operated by SAIC-Frederick, Inc. as part of the NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer—will focus on characterization of Azaya’s lead cancer therapy (ATI-1123) for its adsorption, distribution and toxicity properties using standardized physico-chemical, in-vitro, and in-vivo assays.
The studies will provide a better understanding of the physical and biological properties of ATI-1123 and will support Azaya’s Investigational New Drug (IND) filings with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Azaya’s product is an advanced liposomal formulation of the widely prescribed Taxotere® (docetaxel), a drug for breast, gastric, head and heck, ovarian, prostate, and non-small cell lung cancers.
Under a separate agreement, the NCL will perform preclinical studies on Lankenau’s novel therapeutic nanoparticles for treating solid tumors.
The initial study will focus on adsorption, distribution, and toxicity properties of Lankenau’s polymeric nanoparticle delivery system, which is designed to deliver toxin to tumors without harming normal tissue. Early stage laboratory studies targeted models of prostate, ovarian, pancreatic, and cervical cancers.
Both agreements fall under the ATPI, which seeks to accelerate the development and delivery of new treatments to cancer patients through strategic partnerships with industry, academia, and the nonprofit sector.