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| 9/8/2010 |
Scientists Tweak Research Methods For Melanoma Drug
(Chicago, IL) -- A biotech company says the key to a melanoma drug's success was hit on by doing two sets of biopsies. Plexxicon researchers say they took tumor samples immediately before and then two weeks after giving melanoma patients an experimental drug called PLX-4032. Scientists quickly zeroed in on the right dose early on in the testing process. The idea is to boost their chances at finding the right dosage early in clinical trials so the drug can be approved and brought to market sooner. The drug has helped the 50-to-60 percent of melanoma patients who have a specific mutation in the cancer gene. The relief typically lasts only about six months, with only two of 32 test patients still cancer-free after a year. The California-based Plexxicon says researchers will try to combine PLX-4032 with other cancer-fighting drugs to prolong its benefits. The findings are published in the journal "Nature." |
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