) Clinical and laboratory scientists at NYU Medical Center are collaborating to further exploit prior experience and integrate it with the plan of development of phase I anticancer drugs by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Specifically, we have selected to focus on: 1) The integration of camptothecins into the locoregional approaches to cancer treatment, 2) the pharmacodynamics of modulators and cytoprotective agents alone and in combination with established anticancer drugs such as platinums and topoisomerase II inhibitors, and 3) The Study and development of gene therapy strategies utilizing tumor-targeted vectors bearing suicide genes introduced both locoregionally, and systemically. The resources of the Kaplan Cancer Center are ideally suited for these ambitious projects: a Pharmacology Core Laboratol has extensive experience with obtaining correlative biological endpoints, an Immunohistochemistry Research Laboratory has been thoroughly integrated with recent clinical studies, a protein-DNA cross-linking assay is available to dissect modulation of platinum action. Collaborations are a v a ilable for camptothecin action, gene therapy, pharmacodynamics of radioimmunoconjugates, deoxynucleotide pools in mononuclear gel preparation, in-situ PCR studes of tumor enzymes, and other laboratories with expertise in cytokines, angiogenesis, antimitotics, among other widely explored therapeutic areas. The clinical investigators have the necessary experience, patient resources, and organization to succeed in these endeavors and to cooperate extensively with the NCI and other phase I investigators in the introduction of novel anticancer treatments, and in refining existing successful therapies. Moreover, they have a track record for the eventual transfer of findings on a wide scale locally and nationally.
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