ADH-1

While ADH-1 has a single molecular target, N-cadherin, we believe its anti-cancer effect results from two distinct mechanisms of action - apoptosis and tumor vessel angiolysis.

N-cadherin appears to act as a tumor cell survival factor. In cell culture studies, inhibition of N-cadherin binding between tumor cells has been shown to cause apoptosis of tumor cells, we believe as a result of disrupting the cadherin-regulated cell survival signals.

ADH-1 also appears to disrupt the blood vessels needed for cancerous tumors to grow and flourish, with hemorrhaging having been noted in both our clinical and preclinical studies. We believe the mechanism for this disruption is either a competitive inhibition of the binding of cadherins between the endothelial cells of the tumor blood wall or apoptosis in tumor cells that form a part of the blood vessel wall, each leading to leakage and rupture of these vessels. The latter involves the phenomenon of tumor "mosaicism," in which tumor cells form a portion of the vascular wall (along with the endothelial cells). Induction of cell death of these tumor cells would result in tumor vascular disruption.