Genta Starts UK Antisense Trial

Genta and the Royal Marsden National Health Service Trust hospital in London, UK, have begun the world's first clinical trial of an antisense drug to treat non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Genta's Anticode G3139. The Phase I/II trial is being conducted in collaboration with the Institute of Cancer Research.

The drug is designed to bind to the messenger RNA of the BCL2 gene product, a potent blocker of apoptosis. BCL2 is present in higher concentrations than normal in many tumors, including more than 80% of follicular lymphomas and 50% of intermediate/high-grade lymphomas. Many lymphoma patients with a poor prognosis have been found to have higher levels of BCL2 expression, according to Genta.