Paper In Cell Cycle Reports Alfacell's ONCONASE(R) Targets SiRNA

Alfacell Corporation
(Nasdaq: ACEL) announced that a paper published in Cell Cycle (2008;
Vol. 7, Issue 20) reports that ONCONASE (ranpirnase) targets small
interfering RNA (siRNA), likely within the RNA-induced silencing complex
(RISC) of the RNA interference (RNAi) mechanism.



The paper is the result of research conducted by collaborators at the
Brander Cancer Research Institute and Department of Pathology at New York
Medical College and Alfacell. The study demonstrated that silencing the
glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) gene (an abundant and
ubiquitously expressed housekeeping gene) in human lung adenocarcinoma A549
cells by siRNA was effectively prevented by ONCONASE. While transfection of
cells with GAPDH siRNA reduced expression of this protein by nearly 70
percent, the expression was restored in the cells exposed to ONCONASE for
48 or 72 hours. The data thus provide evidence that one of the targets of
ONCONASE (ranpirnase) is siRNA.



"This data provide further evidence of the impact of ONCONASE on the
RNAi mechanism," said Kuslima Shogen, Alfacell's chief executive officer.
"Furthermore, the data may provide the explanation for the preferential
effectiveness of ONCONASE toward tumor cells as well as its ability to
sensitize cells to other antitumor agents. As seen in our Phase III
clinical trial results, ONCONASE has demonstrated significant efficacy in
patients with malignant mesothelioma that failed prior chemotherapy."



About ONCONASE(R)



ONCONASE is a first-in-class therapeutic product candidate based on
Alfacell's proprietary ribonuclease (RNase) technology. A natural protein
isolated from the leopard frog, ONCONASE has been shown in the laboratory
and clinic to target cancer cells while sparing normal cells. ONCONASE
triggers apoptosis, the natural death of cells, via multiple molecular
mechanisms of action.



Alfacell has licensed the U.S. commercial rights for ONCONASE to
Strativa Pharmaceuticals, a division of Par Pharmaceutical, Inc. Strategic
marketing and distribution agreements for ONCONASE have been secured with
BL&H Co. Ltd. for Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong, USP Pharma Spolka Z.O.O., an
affiliate of US Pharmacia, for Eastern Europe, GENESIS Pharma, S.A. for
Southeastern Europe, and Megapharm Ltd. for Israel.



ONCONASE has been granted fast track status and orphan-drug designation
for the treatment of malignant mesothelioma by the FDA. Additionally,
ONCONASE has been granted orphan-drug designation in the European Union and
Australia.



About Alfacell Corporation



Alfacell Corporation is the first company to advance a
biopharmaceutical product candidate that works in a manner similar to RNA
interference (RNAi) through late-stage clinical trials. The product
candidate, ONCONASE, is an RNase that overcomes the challenges of targeting
RNA for therapeutic purposes while enabling the development of a new class
of targeted therapies for cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
Alfacell has completed Phase III clinical trials of ONCONASE in
unresectable malignant mesothelioma and, in addition to ongoing efforts to
complete the related rolling New Drug Application, Alfacell is currently
planning for Phase II clinical trials in other oncology indications. For
more information, visit alfacell.
















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