The long-term objective of the research is to determine the efficacy of cellular fibronectin in preventing the implantation of metastatic tumor cells at surgical incisions. Phase I feasibility studies will be conducted in mice, using a model for metastatic implants developed at Evanston Hospital. Sufficient cellular fibronectin will be produced and purified from syngeneic mice to permit three experiments:(1) to determine the effect of concentration of fibronectin applied to the wound to the frequency of tumor formation at the site of trauma(2) to determine the effect of enhancement of wound healing by cellular fibronectin on the development of metastatic implants, and(3) to determine whether cellular fibronectin applied at various concentrations to the cells prior to inoculation has an effect on the tendency of TA3Ha tumor cells to implant at wound sites in Strain A mice. Phase II studies will extend the program to production of sufficient human cellular fibronectin for toxicity studies and primary human clinical studies for surface wound healing and possible application in tumor surgeryAwardee's statement of the potential commercial applications of the research:If these studies determine that cellular fibronectin enhances wound healing and/or prevents tumor implantation at surgical sites, Fibrogenex, Inc , will provide purified human cellular fibronectin for human clinical studies and future FDA approval studiesNational Cancer Institute (NCI)
