Ariad Pharmaceuticals Inc fka ARIA

[gr8db8]

Interesting PII trail research going on for Pona:

Sameek Roychowdhury, a researcher at the OSUCCC – James, has led the design of a phase II clinical trial to test a new drug, called ponatinib, that inhibits one of these genes, called the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR).

One problem is that cancer cells often develop resistance to the drugs that are used to treat them. Anticipating that resistance might develop in some patients during the ponatinib trial, the researchers have received a Pelotonia grant that will enable them to collect biopsy samples from each trial participant’s tumor before and after treatment.

The grant also will enable the researchers to sequence 20,000 genes in each sample and look for new gene changes that could cause ponatinib resistance. The findings will provide a foundation for further research on how cancer cells become resistant to FGFR inhibitors and for the development of drugs to counter the resistant cells.

http://oncampus.osu.edu/a-cancer-free-world-begins-here/