Abstract: Provided is a method for screening for effective agents for the treatment of cancer which method comprises selecting a putative agent that is likely to disrupt a function mediated by a critical normal gene product, which function is required for the successful division and continued cell survival of cancer cells, and which function is not required for the successful division and continued cell survival of control cells, treating a cancer cell sample and a control cell sample with a purative agent and determining the cytotoxic effect of, and/or the growth inhibitory effect of the putative agent on these samples, and identifying an effective agent as an agent which is more cytotoxic to, and/or more inhibiting to the growth of the cancer cell sample than the control cell sample. This invention further provides an effective agent identified by this screening method and a method of treating a cancer patient with such an agent.

Abstract: Provided is a method for screening for effective agents for the treatment of cancer which method comprises selecting a putative agent that is likely to disrupt a function mediated by a critical normal gene product, which function is required for the successful division and continued cell survival of cancer cells, and which function is not required for the successful division and continued cell survival of control cells, treating a cancer cell sample and a control cell sample with a purative agent and determining the cytotoxic effect of, and/or the growth inhibitory effect of the putative agent on these samples, and identifying an effective agent as an agent which is more cytotoxic to, and/or more inhibiting to the growth of the cancer cell sample than the control cell sample. This invention further provides an effective agent identified by this screening method and a method of treating a cancer patient with such an agent.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a delivery system useful for water-insoluble drugs, therapeutic agents, and diagnostic agents. More particularly, it relates to a method of packaging water-insoluble substances such as, for example, a drug or other therapeutic or diagnostic agent, to facilitate uptake into the human or animal body and to substances packaged by this method. The packaging method renders the water-insoluble substance water-soluble by packaging it in an amphiphilic polymer that is soluble in water. The invention also relates to a method of treating cancer through administering a water-insoluble drug or other therapeutic or diagnostic agent packaged according to the method describe above.