NGN 241 THERAPY HELPS KILL CANCER CELLS

Researchers at Introgen Therapeutics, along with their collaborators at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, have published new findings on the role of IL-24 in regulating the immune system in the current online issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology. MDA-7/IL-24 is the active component of INGN 241, an investigational cancer therapy currently in a Phase II trial in patients with malignant melanoma. A growing body of preclinical and clinical data indicates that INGN 241 stimulates the immune system to attack cancer cells through IL-24-dependent mechanisms.

The paper describes the expression pattern of IL-24 in a variety of cell types following immune stimulation. Expression of IL-24 is increased by greater than 10,000-fold in specific cells that regulate the immune response. The data support an important role for IL-24 in regulating immune responses that occur as a result of viral or bacterial infection or tumor cell growth.