Dr. William Matsui MD

GLG News^SM Analyses by William Matsui

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I've used it and it works, but...

August 3, 2007

Analysis of:Revimmune for Autoimmune Disease | www.pipelinereview.com

I participated in a number of the trials described in the article.  High dose cyclophosphamide certainally works well in a number of autoimmune diseases, but it is unclear how the use of this old drug will be protected by the company, who actually is going to be willing to administer the treatment and in what setting it would take place.

New drugs out of old drugs

April 13, 2006

Analysis of:Study uses nanoparticles to kill cancer cells | news.yahoo.com

A major goal of drug development in cancer is to design medications that maximally affect cancer cells while sparing normal cells. This article, recently published in the high-profile scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, demonstrates that biofabricated nanoparticles are able to specifically deliver standard chemotherapeutic agents directly to cancer cells. This approach should allow the development of combination drugs (nanoparticles + chemotherapy) that have much less systemic toxicity.

New drugs out of old drugs

April 12, 2006

Analysis of: Nanoparticles Annihilate Prostate Cancer | www.sciam.com

A major goal of drug development in cancer is to design medications that maximally affect cancer cells while sparing normal cells.  This article, recently published in the high-profile scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, demonstrates that biofabricated nanoparticles are able to specifically deliver standard chemotherapeutic agents directly to cancer cells.  This approach should allow the development of combination drugs (nanoparticles + chemotherapy) that have much less systemic toxicity.

Defibrotide (Gentium) - Hype for new trial

April 10, 2006

Analysis of:Gentium Receives First IRB Approval to Begin U.S. Phase III Trial with Defibrotide to Treat Veno-Occ | biz.yahoo.com

Defibrotide is produced by Gentium and is an experimental drug that has undergone testing for treatment of veno-occlusive disease (VOD), a complication of bone marrow transplantation.  The article highlights recent investigational review board approval of a phase III trial testing the drug in patients with VOD at the Harvard Hospitals.  It also decribes that approximately high profile institutions will participate in the trial.  Implications that this trial is an important step for the drug, which if approved, this would be the first drug indicated for the use in treating VOD.

New twist for arsenic in cancer

April 10, 2006

Analysis of:ZIOPHARM Announces ZIO-101 Anti-Cancer Activity at AACR | biz.yahoo.com

Press relase describes data presented at recent AACR meeting in a study examining the effects of the drug against myeloma cells in the laboratory.  The data suggests that this novel formulation of arsenic works differently than the standard form of arsenic (arsenic trioxide, ATO) that has been around for centuries.  If the drug has effects in a wider variety of tumors than ATO it could be tested in many tumor types.