In Vitro And In Vivo Data Show Alfacell's ONCONASE(R) Is Active Against Naive And Chemoresistant Neuroblastoma Cells

Alfacell
Corporation (Nasdaq: ACEL) today announced that new data show ONCONASE, the
company's lead drug candidate, is active against naive and chemoresistant
neuroblastoma cells.


The pre-clinical in vitro and in vivo data published in Cancer Letters
(2007; Vol. 250, Issue 1: 107-116) through a collaboration between Alfacell
and Martin Michaelis, M.D., Ph.D., at the Institute of Medicinal Virology
at Johann Wolfgang University of Frankfurt, were also recently presented in
Germany.



Conclusions from the studies presented indicate that ONCONASE inhibits
neuroblastoma cell growth and induces caspase-independent cell death in
neuroblastoma cells independently of P-gp expression or p53 status, which
has been shown to contribute to multi-drug resistance in neuroblastoma as
well as most other human cancers. Transmission electronic microscope
investigations suggest that ONCONASE induces a process in neuroblastoma
cells called autophagy (the digestion of cellular constituents by enzymes
of the same cell), which leads to apoptosis (programmed cell death).
Anti-tumor activity of ONCONASE against drug-sensitive and chemoresistant
neuroblastoma xenografts was confirmed in animals.



"The data speak to the broad potential application for ONCONASE in
various types of cancer other than the gateway indication for
mesothelioma," said Kuslima Shogen, Alfacell's chairman and chief executive
officer. "We now have an even better understanding of the mechanism of
action that ONCONASE utilizes in overcoming multiple drug resistance in
various tumor types."



Neuroblastoma is a cancer that forms in the nerve tissue. It is the
most common cancer in infants, and the fourth most common type of cancer in
children. Neurons (nerve cells) are the main components of the brain and
spinal cord and of the nerves that connect them to the rest of the body.
Approximately one in 100,000 children develops neuroblastoma in the United
States.



About ONCONASE(R)



ONCONASE is a first-in-class therapeutic product candidate based on
Alfacell's proprietary ribonuclease (RNase) technology. A natural protein
isolated from the leopard frog, ONCONASE has been shown in the laboratory
and clinic to target cancer cells while sparing normal cells. ONCONASE
triggers apoptosis, the natural death of cells, via multiple molecular
mechanisms of action.



About Alfacell Corporation



Alfacell Corporation is the first company to advance a
biopharmaceutical product candidate that works in a manner similar to RNA
interference (RNAi) through late-stage clinical trials. The product
candidate, ONCONASE, is an RNase that overcomes the challenges of targeting
RNA for therapeutic purposes while enabling the development of a new class
of targeted therapies for cancer and other life-threatening diseases. In
addition to an ongoing Phase IIIb study in malignant mesothelioma, Alfacell
is conducting a Phase I/II trial of ONCONASE in non-small cell lung cancer
(NSCLC) and other solid tumors. For more information, visit
alfacell.



Safe Harbor



This press release includes statements that may constitute "forward-
looking" statements, usually containing the words "believe," "estimate,"
"project," "expect" or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements
involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ
materially from the forward-looking statements. Factors that would cause or
contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to,
uncertainties involved in transitioning from concept to product,
uncertainties involving the ability of the company to finance research and
development activities, potential challenges to or violations of patents,
uncertainties regarding the outcome of clinical trials, the company's
ability to secure necessary approvals from regulatory agencies, dependence
upon third-party vendors, and other risks discussed in the company's
periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. By making
these forward-looking statements, the company undertakes no obligation to
update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this
release.


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