NewYork-Presbyterian and AstraZeneca collaborate in series of cancer studies

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is one of six centers nationally to be selected for collaboration with AstraZeneca for an ongoing series of Phase II clinical trials of various novel compounds for potential treatment of a wide variety of cancers.

The aim of this unique and innovative approach, called E3 (Early Efficacy Enterprise), is to expedite development of new treatments by reducing the need for site selection and approval prior to each individual trial.

The series of studies will also involve rapid patient recruitment and assessment of outcome after treatment. By looking at the treatment results in defined patient populations, any early signal of efficacy of a compound can be identified.

"In close collaboration between the pharmaceutical company and both of the Hospital's major medical centers -- NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center -- we are committing ourselves to an all-out search for new cancer therapies," says Dr. Andrew Dannenberg, the E3 principal investigator for NewYork-Presbyterian. He is director of Cancer Prevention at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell and the Henry R. Erle, M.D.–Roberts Family Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College.

"New York-Presbyterian Hospital is one of the world leaders in cancer research," says Alan Barge, vice president of clinical oncology at AstraZeneca LP. "It is for this reason that we have selected them to be one of the sites for expedited clinical trials using AstraZeneca drugs."

The first three clinical trials will study the compounds AZD6244 and vandetanib (ZACTIMA) in diseases including pancreatic, non-small-cell lung, and colorectal cancer. The anticipated 12 to 15 studies to be done over the next five years of the E3 program will look at compounds for cancers, including breast and urologic.

As part of the partnership agreement, AstraZeneca will provide funding for the studies.

http://www.nyp.org and http://www.astrazeneca-us.com