Nanopaclitaxel
Study
March 26, 2002
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CritiTech, Inc. reports that its nano-formulation
of paclitaxel is more effective than the conventional paclitaxel
in a mouse model of ovarian cancer.
CritiTech today reported on the first animal
data studying its proprietary and novel nano-particle preparation
of paclitaxel. In a presentation today at the American Society
of Clinical Pharmacology Therapeutics Annual Meeting in Atlanta,
Georgia, March 24-27, 2002. Dr. Kathy Roby, Research Associate
Professor of the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, and
an Associate Director of the Cell and Tissue Culture Core
at the Center for Reproductive Sciences, at the University
of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas, reported
on enhanced survival in mice treated with CritiTech’s
nanopaclitaxel versus those treated with conventional paclitaxel.
CritiTech’s nanoparticulate paclitaxel
significantly increased survival compared to control and paclitaxel
treated mice. Control mice survived 87 days and paclitaxel
treated mice survived 105 days. Significantly, up to 50% of
the mice in the nanoparticulate paclitaxel groups were surviving
at 162 days. Furthermore, the mice treated with the nanoparticulate
paclitaxel exhibited no apparent toxicity to the highest dose.
Treatment with nanoparticulate paclitaxel resulted in increased
survival and reduced treatment related toxicity in a mouse
model of ovarian cancer.
Paclitaxel has shown promise in the treatment
of ovarian cancer. However, toxicity, in part due to the insoluble
nature of paclitaxel, remains a limitation to its use. The
studies were undertaken to assess the effectiveness of a novel
preparation of nanoparticulate paclitaxel in a mouse model
of ovarian cancer. These preliminary data suggest that
CritiTech’s proprietary nanopaclitaxel formulation may
have both safety and efficacy advantages over conventional
paclitaxel.
CritiTech is a Kansas
corporation currently conducting research and development
in the production of fine drug particles, primarily through
a process known as Precipitation with Compressed Antisolvent
(PCA). CritiTech has completed research on several compounds
to improve water solubility by means of drug particle size
reduction. This particle size reduction results in an increase
of the effective surface area of the compound, thus enhancing
its dissolution rate.
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