No TRAIL left to follow?

University of Pittsburgh researchers (Pittsburgh, Penn.) published in the May issue of Nature Medicine that TRAIL (TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand) induces apoptosis in a large percentage of cells isolated from human livers, suggesting use of the compound in humans could be problematic.

Immunex (IMNX), which has TRAIL in preclinical development to treat cancer, had previously shown that TRAIL kills human cancer cells while having no effect on normal tissues in mice (see BioCentury, Feb. 8, 1999). Prior to the Pittsburgh study, however, IMNX had not tested its TRAIL compound on cultured human hepatocytes. ...