Herceptin seeks out and mops up excess HER2 protein. Tests of Herceptin in combination with other cancer-fighting drugs are under way at Vanderbilt and the Sarah Cannon Cancer Centers. Herceptin also may prove useful in the treatment of other malignancies, including certain forms of lung cancer. It may be something that helps. Angiogenic inhibitors are drugs or other agents that can starve a tumor to death by cutting off its blood supply.
Angiogenesis is the formation of new blood vessels.
The article produced a backlash from critics, who pointed out that what works in mice very often does not work in humans. But the Boston scientists are not the only ones seeking to cut off the tumor's supply line. According to the Oct. 1 issue of Genetic Engineering News, more than 30 angiogenic inhibitors are under development, and some of them are being tested in patients. Last year, for example, researchers at Vanderbilt reported on an early trial of CM-101 in 15 patients with solid tumors. CM-101 is a bacterial toxin discovered by Carl G. Hellerqvist cq and his colleagues at Vanderbilt.