Alfacell's ribonuclease shows promise

New Jersey, USA-based biopharmaceutical firm Alfacell said that new data presented at the recent meeting of the American Association of Neurological surgeons, demonstrated the effectiveness of its drug candidate AC 03-636, a novel ribonuclease, against preclinical models of brain tumor cell lines.

In the trial, the compound, which is a member of the amphinase family of ribonuclease, was incorporated into a controlled-release polyanhydride implant, allowing it delivery direct to the site of the tumor in animal models.

When administered, the drug prolonged the survival time of rats to an average of 21 days, in comparison with a mean 14 day survival time in the untreated control group. In addition, the firm says that the implants released 70% of the drug over the course of 10 days and generated minimal local or systemic toxicity.