Light Sciences Oncology, the Bellevue, WA-based developer of cancer treatments, said today it has started enrolling patients in a mid-stage clinical trial of its light-activated drug for men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The condition, sometimes known as enlarged prostate, is characterized by frequent urination, urgency to urinate, and getting up at night to go. The company’s treatment is designed to use a light-emitting diode, threaded inside the affected tissue, to activate a drug called talaporfin sodium (Aptocine) within its wavelength. The treatment is also in the final stage of clinical trials as a treatment for liver cancer.
Author: Luke Timmerman
Luke is an award-winning journalist specializing in life sciences. He has served as national biotechnology editor for Xconomy and national biotechnology reporter for Bloomberg News. Luke got started covering life sciences at The Seattle Times, where he was the lead reporter on an investigation of doctors who leaked confidential information about clinical trials to investors. The story won the Scripps Howard National Journalism Award and several other national prizes. Luke holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and during the 2005-2006 academic year, he was a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT.
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