BioSphere to test Avastin with chemoembolization

By Elaine Rigoli

Tampa, Fla., June 13 - BioSphere Medical, Inc. said Tuesday that it is participating in a phase 2, single-arm clinical study to treat patients with primary liver cancer starting this month at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

The 30-patient, two-year study will combine Avastin (bevacizumab) with chemoembolization therapy using BioSphere's patented embosphere microspheres.

Participants will receive Avastin intravenously one week before and two weeks after undergoing a chemoembolization procedure.

The study is designed to study the safety and efficacy of combining chemoembolization with Avastin in patients with advanced liver cancer, according to a news release.

Avastin is a therapeutic monoclonal antibody designed to inhibit Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor, a protein that plays an important role in angiogenesis, the formation of tumor blood vessel networks in response to injury or interference, such as a chemoembolization procedure. In order to grow or spread, tumors require a constant supply of oxygen and nutrients that the blood vessel networks supply.

BioSphere Medical, a medical device company based in Rockland, Mass., develops minimally invasive diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

© 2015 Prospect News.
All content on this website is protected by copyright law in the U.S. and elsewhere. For the use of the person downloading only.
Redistribution and copying are prohibited by law without written permission in advance from Prospect News.
Redistribution or copying includes e-mailing, printing multiple copies or any other form of reproduction.