The Region - News from Feb. 28, 1985

Medical institutions in Japan are preparing to begin human testing of a cancer-fighting substance called tumor necrosis factor (TNF), developed by City of Hope researchers working with Asahi Chemical Corp. of Tokyo. Authorities said the TNF developed by the Duarte medical center and Asahi is virtually identical to TNF developed last year by Genentech Inc. of San Francisco and by Cetus Corp. of Emeryville. A spokesman for City of Hope said the TNF developed there, although similar, is produced through a different genetic engineering method. Initial testing will be in Japan, the spokesman said, because it has not yet been approved for human testing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.