Rexin G is a tumor-targeted genetic medication for cancer. Its primary mechanism is a retrovector bearing a cytocidal

cyclin Cyclins are proteins that control the progression of a cell through the cell cycle by activating cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK). Etymology Cyclins were originally discovered by R. Timothy Hunt in 1982 while studying the cell cycle of sea urch ...

G1 construct, which is a form of targeted

gene therapy Gene therapy is Health technology, medical technology that aims to produce a therapeutic effect through the manipulation of gene expression or through altering the biological properties of living cells. The first attempt at modifying human DNA ...

vector used to get a fast track

orphan drug An orphan drug is a medication, pharmaceutical agent that is developed to treat certain rare medical conditions. An orphan drug would not be profitable to produce without government assistance, due to the small population of patients affected by th ...

priority for multiple cancer indications within the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. After phase one and two clinical trials, the drug has been shown to effectively shrink

metastatic tumor Metastasis is a pathogenic agent's spreading from an initial or primary site to a different or secondary site within the host's body; the term is typically used when referring to metastasis by a cancerous tumor. The newly pathological sites, ...

s and triple the survival times of chemotherapy-resistant

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...

s. Recent studies have also confirmed the overall safety of the Rexin G drug and have shown that Rexin-G monotherapy, at the recommended dose levels, exhibits significant

anti-tumor Chemotherapy (often abbreviated chemo, sometimes CTX and CTx) is the type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs ( chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) in a standard regimen. Chemotherapy may be given with a cu ...

activity and increases both overall survival time and the survival rates in the majority of patients.

History

While the molecular cloning and the characterization of the G1

proto-oncogene An oncogene is a gene that has the potential to cause cancer. In tumor cells, these genes are often mutated, or expressed at high levels.

began in 1994, the design and the constructs of the first target delivery system began in 1995, though it was not possible to implement int until late 1997. The initial concepts behind Rexin-G was first possible in 2002 and the first

toxicology Toxicology is a scientific discipline, overlapping with biology, chemistry, pharmacology, and medicine, that involves the study of the adverse effects of chemical substances on living organisms and the practice of diagnosing and treating ex ...

studies of the drug began in 2004. Studies into the effective of the drug soon began after the drug was found to be non-toxic in both mammals in the 2005. With the introduction of clinical grade vectors in the 2006, the drug soon saw widespread testing in late 2006. Rexin-G was officially accepted by Philippine

FDA The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...

in late 2007 for the treatment of all solid tumors and this led to rapid progression in clinical studies during the late 2008. In the late stages of 2011 Rexin-G entered phase three trials. The phase one and two trials have now successfully been completed.

References

2002 introductions Cancer treatments Orphan drugs {{Oncology-stub