Oxigene Inc. of New York announced Thursday that it has filedan investigational new drug application (IND) for its variant ofmetoclopramide, a drug that improves the efficacy of chemo-and radiation cancer therapies by interfering with the cancercells' ability to proliferate.

Although chemo- and radiation therapy damage the DNA incancer cells, those cells can often repair the damage and go onto proliferate anyway. Oxigene's product interferes with theDNA repair mechanism itself; specifically, it inhibits the DNArepair enzyme adenosine diphosphoribosyl-transferase(ADPRT).

Trials covered by the IND will be for enhancing theeffectiveness of conventional treatments for squamous cell lungcarcinoma and glioblastoma. Pilot studies at Sweden'sUniversity of Lund have already shown that Oxigene'sproprietary metoclopramide formulation can double one-yearsurvival rates in patients with squamous cell lung carcinoma.

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