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A new cancer therapy which uses ultra-violet light to turn the cells of the body's own immune system into "ultra-specific magic bullets" for attacking tumours is revealed today by British scientists. The team from Newcastle University have found a way of preventing antibodies from prompting a reaction until they are next to the tumour and can be activated by shining a light probe on to the appropriate area of the body.

LOS ANGELES -- Alfacell Corporation (Nasdaq: ACEL) today announced that Dr. Intae Lee with the University of Pennsylvania has reported that Alfacell's ONCONASE could be a promising radiation sensitizer for lung cancer treatment. Dr. Lee presented the pre- clinical in vivo data at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTROs) 49th Annual Meeting being held Oct. 28-Nov. 1 in Los Angeles. During his presentation, Dr.

NEW YORK -- A U.S. radiological study suggests preventing lung scarring during radiation therapy for lung cancer might extend patients' lives. Researchers at New York University Medical Center have found that using a special type of drug called a pharmaceutical monoclonal antibody to prevent a serious side effect of radiation therapy for lung cancer patients -- pulmonary fibrosis, or scarring of the lungs -- extends patients' lives and improves their quality of life. "The toxicity of pulmonary fibrosis limits the amount of the radiation dose that can be safely given to patients," said Dr.

A new cancer therapy which uses ultra-violet light to turn the cells of the body's own immune system into "ultra-specific magic bullets" for attacking tumours is revealed today by British scientists. The team from Newcastle University have found a way of preventing antibodies from prompting a reaction until they are next to the tumour and can be activated by shining a light probe on to the appropriate area of the body.

The world's largest and most advanced study into breast cancer and acupuncture has been launched. It is hoped the clinical trial will determine whether acupuncture can help women to deal with fatigue associated with breast cancer treatment.

STORRS, Conn. -- The mammogram is a fact of life for any woman above the age of twenty-five. Many women screen for breast cancer using the standard mammogram procedure or through self-examinations. A new FDA approved testing method, called the Halo Breast Pap Test, may replace the old methods of screening for breast cancer with a simple, five minute long procedure, according to Dr. Iacob Marcovici, an obstetrician and gynecologist practicing in Avon, CT.

CHICAGO -- Today the British Midlands Development Corporation announced that new research from The University of Nottingham has pinpointed a potential early warning system for lung cancer. The study, published in the journal Thorax, found that changes in the blood can be detected which signal the presence of lung cancer, and that these changes can be present years before outward symptoms become apparent. Early diagnosis means earlier treatment -- which is much more likely to be effective.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Immunomedics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing monoclonal antibodies to treat cancer and other serious diseases, today reported the development of two new antibody-drug conjugates, potentially for the therapy of colon and lung cancers, at the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics: Discovery, Biology, and Clinical Applications, in San Francisco, CA.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (CTI) announced preclinical data presented at the 19th annual AACR-NCI-EORTC Symposium show its bis-platinate drug candidates, CT-47613 and CT-47609, kill tumors refractory to currently marketed platinum agents carboplatin, cisplatin and oxaliplatin. These compounds could enter human clinical trials in late 2008. "Bis-platinates represent a promising new class of platinum-based chemotherapy drugs with a potential broad spectrum of anti-tumor activity.

Agendia BV, world leader in the rapidly evolving field of molecular diagnostics, announced that it has acquired the rights to the discovery of a major mechanism of resistance to the frequently-used breast cancer drug Herceptin(R), which is published in the October 15 issue of the journal "Cancer Cell". The antibody drug Herceptin(R) targets the HER2 protein, which is hyper-active in about one in four breast cancers and the HER2 protein contributes to aggressive cancer behavior. Striking initial responses are observed in combination with chemotherapy in more than half of treated patients.