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news.OxiGene's vascular targeting agent, CA4P, has shown promise in a preclinical study, demonstrating anti-tumor activity in a model of retinoblastoma, a cancer of the eye that chiefly occurs among children.
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The preclinical study evaluated the local administration of Combretastatin A4P (CA4P) in the treatment of a murine model of retinoblastoma. Results showed that a subconjunctival delivery of CA4P induces an extensive dose-dependent reduction in blood vessel count leading to significant tumor reduction with no evidence of corneal, lenticular, choroidal or retinal toxicity.
“These data provide further evidence of CA4P’s ability to attack aberrant blood vessels associated with tumor growth, but more importantly show that CA4P can exert its disruptive effect on blood vessels when administered locally,” stated Dr David Chaplin, chief scientific officer of OxiGene. “The conclusions of the publication support our strategy to develop CA4P for both intravenous and local administration.”
CA4P leads a novel class of drugs called vascular targeting agents (VTAs). CA4P attacks the vasculature structure of solid tumors and other diseases characterized by the formation of aberrant blood vessels. The compound triggers a change in the shape of the endothelial cells lining the tumor’s blood vessels in turn, blocking the flow of blood to the tumor and depriving it of oxygen and nutrients essential to its survival.
CA4P is currently involved in several ongoing human clinical trials in oncology and ophthalmology in the US and Europe.