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Current Issues
Announcement: Public Teleconference with Dr. Yves Pommier of the National Cancer Institute to discuss azatoxins, a novel class of anticancer compounds
Among his many notable scientific contributions, Dr. Pommier established topoisomerase enzymes as exceptional targets for anticancer drugs. Currently available topoisomerase inhibitors are effective chemotherapeutics, but have several disadvantages. With the goal of creating improved anticancer drugs, Dr. Yves Pommier at the National Cancer Institute developed a new class of chemotherapeutic agents named azatoxins that act by inhibiting the function of the topoisomerase II (top2) family of enzymes and the polymerization of tubulin. Laboratory experiments using the NCI-60 tumor cell panel have established that azatoxins are effective against disseminated leukemia and localized tumors, such as non-small cell lung and colon cancer. In comparison to etoposide, a top2 inhibitor commonly used in chemotherapy, certain azatoxin derivatives show 100 times greater anticancer activity. Indeed, azatoxins have the potential to be developed into chemotherapeutics that outperform currently utilized top2 inhibitors.
During this public teleconference, Dr. Pommier will briefly describe the results supporting the development of azatoxins as anticancer drugs. Subsequently, Dr. Pommier will be available to answer questions related to this technology.
Licensing and collaborative research opportunities will also be discussed.
Additional details were published in the Federal Register on Thursday, April 23, 2009 [74 FR 18585-18586]
Date and Time: Thursday, June 4, 2009 at 1:30 PM (EST)
Contact: If you are interested in participating in this teleconference, please contact Samuel Bish, Ph.D. (Email: bishse@mail.nih.gov; Phone: 301-435-5282) for details and call-in instructions.
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