Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2000. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
PRNewsiwre - Thursday November 9, 2000
The test detects whether a particular gene, the MGMT gene, has a molecule called 'methyl' attached to it. The study showed that brain tumour patients who tested positive (their MGMT genes were methylated) were 16 times more likely to respond to treatment with the most common form of chemotherapy - drugs called alkylating agents, such as Carmustine (BCNU). They were also ten times less likely to die during the three years of follow-up than were those who tested negative. Both findings were statistically significant.
Alkylating drugs work by attaching to the genes in cancer cells, causing various changes that lead to the death of the cancer cell. However, if the MGMT gene has no methyl attached, it can switch on a repair process, thereby counteracting the effect of the alkylating drug and the patient is unlikely to respond to treatment.
"This is a very exciting development for everyone involved in cancer research and treatment, as well as for our patients," said Professor Steven Baylin M.D., one of the main authors and investigators in the study and Associate Director for Research, The Comprehensive Cancer Research Center at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, where the study was conducted. "This has the potential to be turned into a diagnostic tool that could help improve cancer therapy significantly."
Virco has exclusive rights to develop diagnostic tests based on methylation. The company is developing a routine version of the test to help doctors target alkylating drugs for those patients who test positive for methylated MGMT genes who are, therefore, likely to respond to the treatment. Other forms of therapy can be used in those who test negative. In addition, a drug to inhibit the MGMT gene and re-sensitise the patient to treatment with alkylating agents is under development that could be used in these patients.
"We are extremely encouraged by these results and are working hard to provide cancer physicians and patients with a routine testing service early in 2001," said Dr. Brendan Larder, Chief Scientific Officer for the Virco Group. "We are committed to translating these results into clinical management tools for the benefit of patients as quickly as possible."
Of the 47 patients in the study, 40% tested positive for methylation of the MGMT gene. Of these, 64% showed either complete or partial response to alkylating agents compared with only 4% of those testing negative. The average time to tumour progression was 21.4 months for those with a positive test result compared with 8 months for those testing negative.
An editorial by John N Weinstein, M.D. of the U.S. National Cancer Institute accompanied the publication in the New England Journal of Medicine. It highlighted the striking ability of the test to predict response to treatment and raised the possibility of the test having broad application in a wide range of cancers.
The study researchers chose to examine glioma patients because methylation of the MGMT gene is common in this type of cancer. However, the findings could potentially help to tailor the treatment of a number of other common cancers, including lymphomas, lung, head and neck, and colorectal cancers.
Company Background
Virco is a multinational biotechnology company with operating subsidiaries in Belgium, The United Kingdom, the United States and Ireland. It applies the most advanced technologies in molecular biology, automation, ultra high-throughput screening and electronic data processing to the diagnosis and management of HIV, other infectious diseases and cancer.
Virco sells its testing services via Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings (LabCorp), SRL in Japan, as well as directly to clinical centers around the world. Virco has a two-year agreement with Gilead Sciences for the promotion of Virco's HIV drug resistance monitoring services to US prescribers. For further information, please visit Virco's website: http://www.vircolab.com.
SOURCE: Virco
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