ENTREMED GETS PATENT FOR 2-METHOXYESTRADIOL ANALOGS

EntreMed has announced the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 6,995,278 covering analogs of its lead compound, 2-methoxyestradiol (2ME2 or Panzem). Panzem is currently in clinical trials for cancer, as well as in preclinical development for inflammatory disorders.

Panzem is a novel anticancer agent, which is part of a next generation of antimitotic cancer drugs that bind to tubulin and work through multiple cellular pathways. 2ME2 can attack tumors on multiple fronts -- directly by disrupting microtubules, an intracellular matrix necessary for the rapid division of cancer cells (mitosis), by inducing programmed cell death (apoptosis), and by blocking blood vessels that feed tumors (angiogenesis inhibition).