[MOL] Internet Home - American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)

[Martin Auslander <fitecancer@earthlink.net>]

Good Day My FRiends,

Thought this message may be of some use.

file:///C|/windows/temp/nscomm40/tmp/tmp5/edt1.htm

God Bless You,
marty auslander

Title: Internet Home - American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)

 Washington, DC … November 17, 1999 -- A substance extracted from
licorice root,
 Licochalcone-A, has been shown to have antitumor activity in
acute leukemia, breast and
 prostate cancer cell lines by lowering the amount of bcl-2, a
drug-resistant protein. Excess
 amounts of this protein are frequently associated with these
types of cancer. These
 findings were presented today at the International Conference
on Molecular Cancer
 Therapeutics - Discovery, Development and Clinical Validation,
sponsored by the
 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the National
Cancer Institute (NCI)
 and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer
(EORTC).

 "Bcl-2 is a protein that seems to cause resistance to anti-cancer agents. By decreasing the
 level of bcl-2, Licochalcone-A may increase tumor sensitivity to anti-cancer agents," said
 Robert DiPaola, M.D., assistant professor of medicine at the Robert Wood Johnson
 Medical School and the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, and senior investigator of this
 study. " Interestingly, neither of its parent compounds - chalcone and estradiol - have the
 same effect."

 Recent studies have demonstrated that certain estrogens may regulate the cancer gene
 bcl-2, which is produced in excess in some cancer cells and causes resistance to
 chemotherapy and most traditional cancer treatments. It is sometimes referred to as a
 resistance protein. Licochalcone-A, belongs to a class of compounds that sometimes
 have both estrogenic and antitumor activity. However, this is the first time that one
 compound from this class has been linked directly to bcl-2 and shows antitumor activity
 against hormone-responsive and unresponsive tumors.

 The AACR is the oldest and largest scientific organization in the world focused on the
 multidisciplinary aspects of basic, clinical, and translational cancer research for the
 prevention and cure of cancer. Its 15,000 members come from 80 countries. The NCI is
 part of the National Institutes of Health. The EORTC is an international research
 organization whose goal is to facilitate the transition from experimental discovery into
 state-of-the-art treatment of cancer. The NCI-EORTC Symposium on New Drugs in
 Cancer Therapy has been held biennially in Amsterdam for two decades. Under the
 auspices of these three prestigious organizations, it will now occur annually to help
 researchers keep up with the rapid pace of discovery in molecular biology and genetics
 that is identifying new targets for cancer therapeutics.

                                 ###

 "Modulation of bcl-2 and Cytotoxicity of Licochalcone-A, a Novel Estrogenic
 Flavonoid" (abstract #263)
 Mohamed Rafi, Ph.D. and Robert DiPaola, M.D., Robert Wood Johnson Medical
 School/Cancer Institute of New Jersey
 Poster Session 3, Section 2, Board 11 - Exhibit Hall
 Wednesday, November 17 -- 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm