At the core of this medical breakthrough was the discovery that every tumor needs to "recruit" its own blood supply to flourish and grow. Scientists also found out that tumors actively "participated" in this process by secreting certain growth chemicals that would attract blood vessels to the tumor. Having identified this process, the next step was to determine if drugs could be created that could somehow arrest or reverse the progress of blood vessels amassing around a tumor.

The result has been a highly dynamic and exciting area of medicine called anti-angiogenesis (meaning "against the formation of new blood vessels") that focuses on inhibiting the growth of cancer by developing drugs that will prevent tumors from growing in size.

Currently, there are several drug companies that are on the cusp of introducing drugs that will work by the process of anti-angiogenesis. Generally speaking, the drugs seek to improve survival rates of cancer patients, as well as increase the length of time that patients survive. And unlike conventional cancer therapies that have punishing side effects, the new drugs seem to demonstrate few or no side effects for most people. Furthermore, some of the studies show that by utilizing both conventional treatments like radiation and/or chemotherapy in conjunction with anti-angiogenesis drugs, the cumulative effect is even more powerful.

One highly regarded company that is at

Out of all the drugs under development, Neovastat is unique because of its multi-functionality, which is its ability to shut down two pathways recognized as being responsible for promoting angiogenesis (in contrast to other drugs which just block one pathway). In clinical trials, Neovastat has been shown to have no side effects in most people. This is obviously a big advantage for people who know the agony of nausea, exhaustion and/or hair loss that can accompany chemotherapy drugs. In tests, Neovastat has been given to people in liquid oral form, generally the preferable form of drug delivery for patients.

If you are a cancer patient interested in clinical trial participation, you can get information about current trials by calling (888)-349-3232 If you are an oncologist, please contact Claude Hariton, Ph.D., vice president of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs at (418) 652-8525 ext. 306. To learn more about anti-angiogenesis drugs and Aeterna Laboratories, visit the Aeterna Web site at www.aeterna.com.

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Courtesy ARA Content, www.ARAcontent.com; e-mail: info@ARAcontent.com