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Most important, ONCONASE preferentially degraded viral RNA while not affecting normal cellular ribosomal RNA and messenger RNAs.
"These results demonstrate that ONCONASE, at non-cytotoxic concentrations, can effectively and selectively inhibit replication of the HIV virus in vitro by more than 90 percent without necessarily killing the HIV-harboring cell," stated Dr. Richard Youle, Head of the Section of Biochemistry, Surgical Neurology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health. "These findings further confirm our previously published observations regarding acutely infected cells (Proceedings National Academy Sciences USA 91:6012-6016, 1994). We are particularly encouraged by the prospects of the clinical applications of ONCONASE as an effective anti-viral agent in view of its enzymatic affects on one of the most elementary cell functions. It would be inconceivable to anticipate development of resistance as a result of the all too frequent viral mutations common to HIV-1. Thus, we feel that ONCONASE could be effective even in cases of the known resistance of HIV to the presently available anti-HIV drugs."
Approximately 500,000 new cases of AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) were reported in the United States through mid- 1995, half of these have resulted in death. AIDS is a deadly disease caused by the HIV virus which afflicted nearly one million people in the United States alone during 1995. Research has shown that ONCONASE works inside the cell by degrading RNA -- a necessary component in order for cells to proliferate or multiply. ONCONASE may provide a novel approach to treating this fatal disease by interfering with the HIV-1 virus development process.
The NINDS, one of the National Institutes of Health, located in Bethesda, Md., is the nation's leading supporter of research on the brain and nervous system and a lead agency for the Congressionally designated Decade of the Brain.
Developed by ALFACELL scientists, ONCONASE(R) is a novel RNase protein used in the investigational treatment of patients with solid tumors, most of which are resistant to other chemotherapeutic drugs. ONCONASE, the only cytotoxic RNase currently in clinical trials, has been used in the treatment of over 350 patients with a variety of solid tumors and has demonstrated in vitro and in vivo activity in multiple-drug resistant (MDR) tumor models. MDR is thought to be responsible for approximately 90 percent of chemotherapy failures. The company is currently conducting multi-center Phase III clinical trials in advanced pancreatic cancer patients as well as a multi-center Phase II trial in patients with malignant mesothelioma.
ALFACELL Corp. (OTCBB: ACEL), a biopharmaceutical company located in Bloomfield, is engaged primarily in the research and development of novel ribonuclease enzymes for various therapeutic applications. The company's common stock is traded in the over-the-counter market under the symbol "ACEL."
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CONTACT: ALFACELL Corp. Donna Brasko, 201/748-8082
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