Based on research showing that Ceragenix’s drugs have activity similar to human angiostatins, two of the company’s lead cationic steroid antibiotic (CSA) compounds have been accepted by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to be evaluated for their potential activity in inhibiting the growth of tumor blood supply.
The initial evaluation of Ceragenix’s compounds will be in three in vitro models; the growth inhibition assay; the cord formation assay; and the cell migration assay. Compounds will be selected for further testing by NCI on the basis of their activity in at least one of the above assays.
Compounds that have the ability to selectively target and inhibit the growth of new blood vessels have potential application in anticancer therapies and in the treatment of certain diseases such as advanced macular degeneration, a devastating eye disease that may lead to total blindness.
In cancer therapy, the most dangerous tumors are the ones that are growing quickly and require new blood vessels to fuel their growth. Scientists believe that one potentially effective means to inhibit such growth is to starve the tumor of its blood supply. The blood vessels that feed tumor cells differ from normal blood vessels in that they contain negatively charged lipids on their surface.