To winvestor2, re: ONCY
Your questions (in italics) are good ones:
Any guesses on what it could be about the infusion pump compared to the intratumoural injection that could overcome the low permeability of brain tissue to fluid diffusion you mentioned, such that more reovirus could be deliverd into greater proximity to the max amount of cancerous growth?
One important factor is the sheer amount of fluid they can introduce. With intratumoral injection, it is only about 1 ml; with the infusion pump, aka convection-enhanced delivery (CED), they pump in up to about 30ml over 48 hrs. And according to Matt Coffey, with local injection, one knows less about the effect of the low permeability of the tissue.
A number of papers on CED are available on the Neopharm website at www.neophrm.com/abstracts.htm
Some neuro-oncologists in Toronto used dyes so you can see the diffusion of the material through the brain tissue.
Apparently there is also a powerpoint slide show of this for Neopharm investors but I have not been able to find it.
Do you have any feel or guess as to how much of a limiting factor low permeability of brain tissue to fluid diffusion has been in the HC trial? After all, at least 3 patients demontrated (and may still be demonstrating) life extension. Although, it's possible the LE might not be related. But probably has something to do with it
Ah, this is one I *wish* I could answer, though my best guess is backed up by my investment. If I recall correctly, the HC protocol addresses the low permeability issue by using multiple injections per patient and various techniques to guide those needles to known sites of tumor growth.
At the very least they seem to have isolated what they are up against in terms of effective delivery into the brain. And perhaps the approval for U.S trial delay ends up working in their favor... Would they have used the infusion pump if this trial had been approved 3 years ago?
Using the infusion pump was the suggestion of the FDA itself. I heard this from Coffey, and a fuller account was recently posted, I think on the Yahoo site, by matdu1 or RJC. The FDA is "into" this method of admin which was developed at NIH. Oncolytics management does seem to feel that the FDA's suggestion was a good one from the viewpoint of maximizing efficacy. But of course it sent them back to the lab for another series of lab experiments and animal trials, which are far more time-consuming than most investors seem to think.
Hope that helps.
For more information, you might try visiting the brand new ONCY private board, which is very civil and focused. Go to finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/oncyV2/
I'll also post this exchange there to let those more knowledgeable than I am comment on this too.
All best,
-kaiva
AI
