Research update today on brain cancer - notification of a poster...

Research update today on brain cancer - notification of a poster presentation on 12th Sept.

ASX Release
Date: 9th September 2008

Subject: Presentation of pre-clinical activity of CAVATAKTM in human brain cancer


Researchers from the University of Newcastle and Viralytics Limited are scheduled to deliver a poster presentation covering pre-clinical in vitro activity of CAVATAKTM in human brain cancer cells at the HMRI Conference on Translational Cancer Research to be held September 10-12, 2008 in Newcastle. The poster to be presented by Dr. Gough Au covers the potential oncolytic activity of CAVATAKTM in laboratory cultures of human brain cancers called glioblastomas. Results to date, addressing CAVATAKTM mediated killing of test tube cultures of a number of human glioblastoma cell lines is encouraging and the research has now progressed to animal studies using mice bearing human glioblastoma tumours. The research is being conducted in collaboration with Dr.Guha.

Dr. Guha is Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Toronto, and practices at the Toronto Western Hospital, part of the University Health Network in Toronto, Canada. He is Co-Director and Senior Scientist at the Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Center, at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Further, Professor Guha is President of the Society for Neuro-Oncology in the USA, a multidisciplinary organization dedicated to promoting advances in neuro-oncology through research and education.

The poster presentation will be available on the Viralytics website (www.viralytics.com) on the 12th of September, 2008.

Malignant Gliomas are the most common tumours of the central nervous system, and often respond poorly to surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The disease is often fatal, usually within 1-2 years of the onset of symptoms, despite conventional therapy. The National Cancer Institute in the USA estimates 20,000 new cases of cancer of the nervous system will be diagnosed in 2007, with over 12,000 deaths predicted in 2007 from this form of cancer.

Bryan Dulhunty
Chairman