Veglin – Phase I and II clinical trials
Dr. Parkash Gill has invented Veglin, a type of antisense oligonucleotide anti-angiogenesis drug. Veglin has been under clinical trials phases I and II at the University of Southern California. This drug has demonstrated preliminary success with results of lowering VEGF levels in tumors. Tumor growth is aided by the protein VEGF. The results of the Phase I clinical trials using Veglin were released by Dr. Parkash Gill during the 40th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. The doctor said that results in some cases had shown Veglin to be capable of reduction of tumors and periodic stabilization.
Mesothelioma cancer patients who participated in the phase I clinical trials of Veglin were given a chance to try this treatment as an experiment since they had advanced cases of this life-limiting disease. The Veglin drug was given intravenously to the mesothelioma cancer patients for a period of 120 minutes, and this treatment was given for five consecutive days. The patients then took off seven days from the treatment before doing the process again. Each patient would receive this process cycle a total of four months.
Clinical trial results have shown that Veglin lowered levels of VEGF-A in the study patients by 47 percent, and lowered VEGF-C (forms of VEGF) by 21 percent. There were no significant toxic effects to the participating patients, including those receiving larger samples of Veglin.
Additional clinical trials of Veglin started in 2004 with the launch of Phase II studies which are still ongoing with reports now being made ready for the FDA in order to proceed with Phase III.
Dr. Parkash Gil is hoping for greater successes by focusing on lymphoma, leukemia, renal cell carcinoma, and malignant mesothelioma. Veglin is proving itself to be successful at blocking VEGF proteins as well as the formation of blood vessels to cancer cells. Dr. Gill believes that Veglin can prevent mesothelioma metastasis and it initiates the systematic death of existing cancer cells by cutting off their blood flow (apoptosis).
Now, the FDA has only approved the use of Almita combined with Cisplatin as a combined drug for the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma.
Anti-Angiogenesis: a focus for new chemotherapy crugs
New blood vessels are formed from pre-existing vessels through a natural process called Angiogenesis. Angiogenesis is the cause for the growth and spread of cancerous cells by the same natural process that is essential to the development and growth of the body.
Cancer cells like mesothelioma grow and divide uncontrollably. The quick generation time of mesothelioma cancer cells and their genomic variation permits them to develop resistance to common radiation and chemotherapy treatments. It is difficult to eliminate from the body malignant cancer cells that resist treatment. The latest research about mesothelioma takes a new strategy to battling cancer cells by focusing on genomically stable cells that are necessary core to malignant cancer.
Anti-Angiogenesis Drugs and How They Work
An Anti-Angiogenesis drug (angiogenesis inhibitor) inhibits the growth of new blood vessels. Anti-Angiogenesis drugs target a family of naturally occurring proteins called VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor). VEGF stimulates the growth and survival of the vascular system and is required for angiogenesis.
A newly formed tumor cannot grow beyond a certain size (typically 1 to 2 mm³) without nutrients and oxygen that are supplied by blood vessels. Tumors secrete VEGF, inducing nearby blood vessels to grow into the tumor, fostering malignancy. Anti-Angiogenesis drugs join with VEGF proteins to prevent them from binding with receptors that make angiogenesis possible. Stopping the formation of new blood vessels therefore prevents tumor growth, allowing for tumor containment until additional action can be taken to kill or remove the cancerous cells.
The use of Veglin, a Anti-Angiogenesis drug, in clinical trial studies has shown to be effective in preventing the development of new blood vessels, and this prevents the cancer cells from receiving required blood, and the cancer cells die from starvation.