Guilford Pharmaceuticals Presents New NAALADase Inhibitor Data in Chemotherapy-Induced Neuropathy at ASCO

Guilford Pharmaceuticals Presents New NAALADase Inhibitor Data in
Chemotherapy-Induced Neuropathy at ASCO 


BALTIMORE, May 18  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Guilford Pharmaceuticals Inc.
(NASDAQ:GLFD) today announced that new data from its NAALADase inhibitor
program were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual
Meeting, the premier scientific event for oncology professionals.  The
preclinical results suggest that the Company's proprietary NAALADase inhibitors
may have utility in preventing and reversing chemotherapy-induced neuropathy in
animal models.

"Exploring chemotherapy-induced neuropathy is a novel focus of research for our
NAALADase program, and presents an exciting opportunity for continued
investigation," commented Barbara Slusher, Ph.D., Senior Vice President,
Research.  "Guilford scientists and our academic collaborators have previously
demonstrated in multiple animal models that NAALADase inhibition can prevent
and reverse neuropathic pain and diabetic peripheral neuropathy.  To our
knowledge, the data we presented at ASCO are the first to show evidence that
enzymatic inhibition of NAALADase can ameliorate chemotherapy-induced
neuropathy, a severe dose-limiting toxicity associated with chemotherapy
treatment, and believed to affect more than 1.2 million Americans with cancer
each year.  Currently, there are no drugs available that can treat this
condition."

In the study, mice received cumulative doses of either 25 mg/kg taxol (five 5
mg/kg doses in two weeks) or 100 mg/kg taxol (four 25 mg/kg doses in two weeks)
in addition to orally administered daily doses of a potent and selective
NAALADase inhibitor (2-MPPA) or placebo.  Chemotherapy-induced neuropathy was
assessed by measuring sensory nerve conduction velocity (SNCV) prior to and
following treatment.

The results demonstrated that 2-MPPA significantly prevented the deficit in
sensory nerve conduction velocity induced by both the 5 and 25 mg/kg taxol
regimen by 96% and 98%, respectively, (p