BANNOCKBURN, Ill., June 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Pinnacle
Oncology LLC, a subsidiary of Pinnacle Biologics Inc. announced a
wide ranging agreement with the University of Chicago for the
acquisition of its technology and intellectual property rights for
the development of a compound, amifostine, to prevent genomic
instability caused by a variety of sources of ionizing radiation
exposure including common Computer Tomography (CT) scans.
Amifostine was initially developed by the United States Army to
protect military personnel from the toxic effects of radiation
exposure in the event of a nuclear war. Animal studies
revealed that amifostine is very effective in protecting against
genomic instability and associated long term genomic damages
resulting from radiation exposure, such as from CT scans and other
diagnostic radiology and radiation oncology procedures that lead to
DNA damages, chromosomal aberrations and gene mutations, all of
which are associated with the cancer development processes.
“There are many potential uses for amifostine,” said David
Grdina, Professor of Radiation and Cellular Oncology at the
University of Chicago and inventor of the technology behind the
development of amifostine as a genomic stabilizing agent, “In
addition to protecting against genomic instability, somatic
mutagenesis and carcinogenesis, amifostine may also facilitate
protection against germ line mutations. These exposures can come
from a variety of sources including common diagnostic procedures,
such as computer tomography (CT) scans and more generalized
environmental exposures, as recently evidenced by the nuclear plant
accident in Japan.” At present, none of these potential uses
have been approved by the FDA.
According to Viren Grover, Vice-Chairman at Pinnacle Biologics,
“It is clear that CT scans have revolutionized diagnostic imaging
and while they can provide great medical benefits, there is concern
that diagnostic CT scans may be responsi
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