Egen, Inc. is collaborating with the National Cancer Institute's Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory to accelerate human clinical testing of a nanotechnology-based gene therapy for brain cancer.

Egen’s candidate gene therapy -- which relies on nanoparticles for effective delivery to the tumor site -- is already being evaluated in Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials in patients with colorectal and ovarian cancers. Egen is seeking to begin Phase 1 trials against glioblastoma, a difficult brain cancer to treat.

The NCI's Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory, operated under contract by SAIC-Frederick Inc., is part of the NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer, and a partnership between NCI, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Food and Drug Administration. The laboratory evaluates nanoparticles for their physical and chemical properties and for their behavior in laboratory and animal models -- all prerequisite to human testing in medical procedures.

Release Date: Sept. 26, 2011
Source: Egen, Inc.