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Napoleone Ferrara answers a
few questions about this month's fast breaking paper in the field of
Pharmacology & Toxicology.
From
•>>April 2005
Field:
Pharmacology & Toxicology
Article Title: Discovery and development of
bevacizumab, an anti-VEGF antibody for treating cancer
Authors: Ferrara,
N;Hillan, KJ;Gerber, HP;Novotny, W
Journal: NAT REV DRUG DISCOV
Volume: 3
Page: 391-400
Year: MAY 2004
* Genentech Inc, Dept Mol Oncol, 1 DNA Way, San Francisco, CA 94080 USA.
* Genentech Inc, Dept Mol Oncol, San Francisco, CA 94080 USA.
* Genentech Inc, Dept Dev Sci, San Francisco, CA 94080 USA.
* Genentech Inc, Dept Clin Oncol, San Francisco, CA 94080 USA.
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 Why
do you think your paper is highly cited?
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“Bevacizumab is the first anti-angiogenic agent to show clinical efficacy and increase patient survival in a phase III study.”
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I think the paper is highly cited because it reviews
important recent developments in the angiogenesis field, most
notably a successful phase III clinical trial that led to the
approval by the FDA of bevacizumab, a novel cancer treatment.
This is believed by many to be a milestone in the field.
Does
it describe a new discovery or a new methodology that's useful to
others?
The paper briefly reviews the biology of VEGF, a critical
mediator of angiogenesis, and describes the preclinical studies
that led to the clinical development of bevacizumab, a humanized
anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody. The clinical trials of
bevacizumab are described in detail, including a pivotal study
the resulted in FDA approval. The addition of bevacizumab to
standard first-line chemotherapy resulted in a significant
increase in survival and progression-free survival in patients
with previously untreated metastatic colorectal cancer.
Could
you summarize the significance of your paper in layman's terms?
Bevacizumab is the first anti-angiogenic agent to show
clinical efficacy and increase patient survival in a phase III
study. It is also the first drug in this class to be
FDA-approved.
How
did you become involved in this research?
My lab has been interested in the regulation of angiogenesis
for many years. In 1989 we reported the isolation and cloning of
VEGF-A. In 1993 we reported that an antibody that targets human
VEGF-A substantially inhibits the growth of several human tumor
cell
lines transplanted in nude mice. These studies led to the idea
that a humanized anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody might be useful as
a cancer therapeutic.
Napoleone Ferrara, M.D.
Genentech Fellow
Genentech Inc., Dept. of Molecular Oncology
San Francisco, CA, USA
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ESI Special Topics,
April 2005
Citing URL - http://www.esi-topics.com/fbp/2005/april05-NapoleoneFerrara.html
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