Alfacell announces new research collaboration to develop next-generation targeted therapies for cancer.

Alfacell Corporation (Bloomfiled, NJ) announced a new collaboration with the West German Cancer Center at the University of Duisburg-Essen for the development, characterization and large-scale production of a novel fusion protein for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). The fusion protein consists of ONCONASE (ranpirnase) and a humanized anti-CD22 monoclonal antibody. Dr. Juergen Krauss and Dr. Michaela Arndt, who head the Therapeutic Antibody Group at the Department of Medical Oncology and Cancer Research, will lead the project.

Susanna Rybak, Ph.D., a member of Alfacell's Scientific Advisory Board, will serve as a key liaison for Alfacell during this collaboration. Dr. Rybak stated, "This fusion protein and other new molecular forms of ONCONASE will specifically target tumor cells by attaching to antigens on the cell surface. These antigens will specifically internalize ONCONASE, thereby increasing its tumor cell killing ability."

Dr. Krauss and Dr. Arndt were prominent researchers at Dr. Rybak's laboratory at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in recent years, and are noted experts in the field of antibody engineering. At the NCI, they successfully designed and produced new thermo-stable recombinant antibodies that recognized antigens on both solid and blood-borne cancers. This remarkable body of work has been published and resulted in several new patent applications. Importantly, their research has shown that these new antibodies could enhance the ability of RNases to kill tumor cells, thus paving the way for the construction of promising new ONCONASE-based targeted therapies.

The most potent of the chemical constructs developed by Dr. Rybak and her team at the NCI was AC RN-321, which is currently being developed by the NCI and Alfacell. AC RN-321 is an anti-CD22/RNase immunoconjugate consisting of a B-cell specific monoclonal antibody chemically conjugated with ONCONASE. The new research collaboration extends this work by using a recombinant anti-CD22 antibody fragment developed by Dr. Krauss in Dr. Rybak's laboratory that is genetically linked to ONCONASE, hereby creating a homogeneous product and second-generation drug.

The immunotoxin review that features ONCONASE will appear in "Handbook of Therapeutic Antibodies" (Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, Germany: Volume 3), edited by Professor Stefan Dubel from the Technical University of Braunschweig (Braunschweig, Germany).

Kuslima Shogen, Chief Executive Officer of Alfacell, stated, "We are extremely pleased to enter into this collaboration with such an esteemed institution and accomplished cancer researchers. Drs. Krauss and Arndt are exceptionally qualified to develop 'smart' ONCONASE drugs. We look forward to the prospect of developing elegant and effective fusion proteins for NHL and other cancers, with ONCONASE serving as the payload in these novel targeted therapies."

Alfacell is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel therapeutics for cancer and other diseases, using its ribonuclease (RNase) technology platform. ONCONASE (ranpirnase), Alfacell's lead investigational drug candidate, is currently being evaluated in several studies, including a Phase IIIb registration study for unresectable malignant mesothelioma (UMM). The company has developed and managed one of the largest UMM clinical programs ever undertaken, with over 600 patients enrolled, including newly-diagnosed and refractory patients treated with ONCONASE as a single agent and in combination with doxorubicin. A Phase I / II trial evaluating ONCONASE in non-small cell lung cancer  is also in progress.

Alfacell Corporation

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