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Groundbreaking Clinical Trial at Mary Crowley Significantly Increases Survival in End-Stage Head and Neck Cancer Patients

Posted on: Thursday, 29 May 2008, 09:01 CDT

Mary Crowley Cancer Research Centers (Mary Crowley) in partnership with Introgen Therapeutics, Inc. (Introgen) announced that ADVEXIN(R) significantly increased survival in end-stage head and neck cancer patients. The phase 3 clinical trial was led by principal investigator John Nemunaitis, M.D., Executive Medical Director of the Mary Crowley Cancer Research Centers, located at the Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas.

Head and neck cancer, a group of malignancies affecting the nose, mouth and/or throat, can be a disturbing diagnosis for many Americans. More than 55,000 Americans will develop cancer of the head and neck this year and 13,000 will die from this disease -- that equals 35 patients per day.

If caught early, head and neck cancer is highly treatable; however, the prognosis for patients with advanced and recurrent disease is especially grim. Despite improvements in surgery and treatment, the three-year survival rate in patients with advanced disease is only 30 percent and, for patients with recurrent disease, the expected survival without treatment is only 3 months.

Currently, no gene therapy agents have been approved by the FDA for cancer. It is believed that ADVEXIN is the most clinically advanced gene therapy in clinical development in the U.S. Dr. John Nemunaitis, an early lead investigator of ADVEXIN who conducted research on the early phase trials at Mary Crowley, will present the results tomorrow at the American Society for Gene Therapy (ASGT) annual meeting in Boston, Mass.

"The Advexin phase 3 data we are presenting are very encouraging as they confirm previous studies and demonstrate a significant survival benefit in recurrent head and neck cancer," said Dr. Nemunaitis. "These clinical results are a major step forward for this novel gene therapy approach. We are excited by the potential to help the thousands of patients each year who develop such an aggressive form of cancer. There are simply not enough treatment options for patients with advanced, recurrent cancer."

For over 15 years Mary Crowley Cancer Research Centers has been consistently breaking new ground by developing personalized cancer treatments using molecular medicine such as cancer vaccines, which educate the patient's personal immune system to fight the cancer cells. Its clinics have developed research that allows the study of patient-specific genetic patterns, which provides a basis for a targeted therapy plan. By engaging a patient's own genetic makeup into the fight against cancer, Mary Crowley therapies are designed to stop the cancer growth without harm to healthy cells.

Since inception, Mary Crowley has performed hundreds of Phase I and Phase II clinical trial protocols, treated more than 3,000 patients, explored more than 200 new agents, and accomplished more than 140 FDA-approved clinical trials.

About Mary Crowley Cancer Research Centers

Mary Crowley Cancer Research Centers, founded by Christian businesswoman and philanthropist Mary C. Crowley, specializes in leading edge clinical cancer research. Its globally renowned medical team, with decades of experience in new drug development and hundreds of peer-reviewed publications, is paving the way for personalized cancer vaccines and targeted gene therapies in conjunction with the FDA. Mary Crowley clinics are located in Dallas, TX at Baylor University Medical Center; Albany, NY (Scotland); Albany, NY (Patroon); Billings, MT; Dallas, TX (at Presbyterian Hospital); Greenville, SC; Maryville, IL; Tyler, TX and Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information, visit www.MaryCrowley.org.

 MEDIA CONTACTS:  Diana DuBois Levenson & Brinker Public Relations 214.932.6068 Diana.Dubois@levensonbrinkerpr.com  Katie Velez Levenson & Brinker Public Relations 214-932-6077 katie.velez@levensonbrinkerpr.com

SOURCE: Mary Crowley Cancer Research Centers

Source: MARKET WIRE

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