Postet on Yahoo's TCLN board 05/26/99 by Ownotshort

You have probably heard the term "platform technologies" used when describing some of TCLN’s technologies. Following is an explanation of this term.

TNT (Cotara). Although TNT is currently in clinical trials for the treatment of brain cancer, pancreatic, prostate and liver cancers, it has many other uses, thus coining the term "platform technology". It is in fact a platform on which to build other cancer therapies and diagnostic agents. Whichever approach to treating cancer is the best, TNT may be able to improve it.

The TNT monoclonal antibody is simply a carrier for various compounds that actually cause the desired effect on the tumor. The TNT antibody alone (naked) has no tumor killing capabilities. The easiest analogy for this would be to think of TNT as a Cruise Missile. A Cruise Missile alone has no use as a weapon of war. When you attach a 2000 lb. bomb to it, it becomes a very deadly weapon with precise targeting capability. Attach a biological weapon to it, and it becomes a weapon of mass destruction. Attach a nuclear warhead to it, and, well.... you get the point. The Cruise Missile and TNT are both precise targeting vehicles. TNT is just a biological targeting vehicle. In the current clinical trials TNT is being used to deliver radioactive isotopes to the tumor (for reasons explained in previous posts). It should be comforting to know, as investors, that if this approach is not effective, there are many other uses of TNT. This reduces the risk we are bearing and tremendously increases the up side of the investment. If the current treatment is successful, we could have a major blockbuster. If some of the other uses of TNT work, we could have an unbelievable blockbuster.

TNT is also a tumor imaging agent. There are several tumor imaging agents and devices on the market. All are cancer specific and at most can image several cancer types (breast, colon, etc.). TNT could be the first universal cancer imaging agent. There are several methods of creating an image. Radioisotopes are a standard for imaging (using a different isotope than Iodine-131). Phosphorescent dyes are another approach to cancer imaging. What ever the approach may be, TNT could be the delivery mechanism for the imaging agent. Since early detection is the single biggest factor in determining the outcome of cancer treatment, a universal imaging agent could be invaluable in the war against cancer. Such a cancer detection agent could become a standard screen for sick patients that may be suspected of having cancer. Patients in high-risk groups could be screened routinely. A universal cancer imaging and detection agent may have a larger market than cancer treatment. After all, you will certainly be imaging all patients with cancer and probably many more patients that come up negative. You could build a company around this product alone.

TNT can deliver chemotherapy drugs. One of the problems with chemotherapy is that the drugs are very toxic. Since chemo drugs are not selectively targeted, they poison the whole body indiscriminately. In essence chemo poisons your whole body, hoping your tumor dies (cancers cells are weaker than healthy cells) before you do. This is why there are so many side effects with chemo. With TNT delivery of chemo drugs you could localize the extreme toxicity at the tumor site only. By injecting low doses of TNT/chemo, the patient would be exposed to lower amounts of drug while TNT would accumulate in high volumes at the tumor site. This would reduce the side effects of chemo, leaving patients healthier to withstand more aggressive dosing regimens, hopefully resulting in greater efficacy. A good analogy for this would be to dump a small amount of metal shavings in water that is being circulated through a closed loop piping system. Somewhere in the system place a magnet. Over time most of the metal shavings will accumulate at the magnet. Therefore, the water has very low amounts of metal shavings while the magnet will have a large accumulation.

TNT can deliver radiosensitizers to tumors. Radiosensitizers are drugs that cause radiation therapy to be more effective (5-FU, fluorodeoxyuridine, thymidine analogs, etc.). I cannot explain the method of action (ask Pathgod he should be able to answer). Radiosensitizers would be effective for increasing the efficacy of external beam radiation and TNT/131-I.

TNT can deliver Pro-Drugs. Pro-drugs are drugs that are not toxic until they come in contact with the tumor or they are targeted to the tumor and later a triggering agent is injected causing the drug to become very toxic selectively at the tumor site. TNT would be the perfect targeting agent for pro-drugs.

TNT can deliver liposomes. Liposomes are fatty structures that are used to encase toxic drugs so they are not toxic to the whole body. Liposomes are made to dissolve at the tumor site (at different ph’s) releasing their toxic payload (Trojan horse concept). Although they reduce toxicity of most chemo drugs, they have limited efficacy because of the inability to selectively target the tumors and accumulate in high volumes. TNT should be able to increase their accumulation at the tumor site.

TNT can deliver DNA and antisense to tumors. In many cases these compounds will need to be delivered to the tumor site for their mechanisms of actions to work properly. TNT can do this to.