POLYPORUS UMBELLATUS: A NEW BIOLOGICAL RESPONSE MODIFIER

THE PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES OF AN EXTRACT OF POLYPORUS UMBELLATUS, A MUSHROOM INDIGENOUS TO CHINA, HAVE BEEN INVESTIGATED EXTENSIVELY BY THE STATE PHARMACEUTICAL ADMINISTRATION OF CHINA. COMPOUND 757, A POLYSACCHARIDE PURIFIED FROM THE EXTRACT, HAS BEEN SHOWN TO HAVE ANTITUMOR AND IMMUNOMODULATORY ACTIVITIES AND ALREADY IS IN CLINICAL TRIALS WITHIN CHINA. IT HAS NEVER BEEN USED OUTSIDE OF CHINA TO DATE. THE HIPPLE CANCER RESEARCH CORPORATION HAS OBTAINED SUFFICIENT AMOUNTS OF THIS NEW AND POTENTIALLY USEFUL ANTINEOPLASTIC AGENT. IT WILL BE EVALUATED FOR ITS TUMORICIDAL EFFECTS, FOR ITS CLINICAL TOXICITIES, AND FOR ITS POTENTIAL AS A COMMERCIAL PRODUCT. IN PHASE I OF THIS PROJECT, COMPOUND 757 WILL BE EVALUATED TO DETERMINE ITS DIRECT EFFECT ON A BROAD SPECTRUMOF HUMAN TUMORS WITH THE IN VITRO CLONOGENIC ASSAY. THE POTENTIAL TOXIC EFFECTS OF THE COMPOUND WILL BE DETERMINED IN VITRO ON CELLS OF THE HEMATOPOIETIC SYSTEM. THE POSSIBLEIMMUNOMODULATORY EFFECT OF THE COMPOUND WILL BE ASSESSED, AND THE CYTOPROTECTIVE EFFECT OF THE COMPOUND ON NORMAL BONE MARROW IN THE PRESENCE OF ANTINEOPLASTIC DRUGS WILL ALSO BE DETERMINED. FINALLY, THE FEASIBILITY OF UTILIZING COMPOUND 757 AS A CHEMOTHERAPEUTIC AGENT WILL BE BROUGHT IN A TECHNOLOGY-TRANSFER FASHION TO THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY FOR DEVELOPMENT.