After decades of research, Andrus Professor of Pediatric Surgery M. Judah Folkman is one step closer to his research goal of attacking cancer by cutting off the flow of blood to tumors rather than attacking them directly.

This week, doctors will begin testing endostatin, a cancer-fighting drug developed from Folkman's research, on human beings for the first time.

Endostatin is the first of several anti-cancer drugs under evaluation which prevent angiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels in the body. Doctors hope that, by stopping the growth of blood vessels around a cancerous tumor, the drug can shrink tumors and prevent the cancer from spreading.

Susan Craig, spokesperson for the Children's Hospital, Boston, where Folkman conducts his research, says that endostatin has been successful in studies on mice, reducing cancerous tumors to nearly microscopic size with no observable side effects.

Folkman has been working on restricting blood vessel growth, particularly near tumors, for over 30 years, according to Emery Professor of Organic Chemistry Elias J. Corey.

"The whole theory of angiogenesis inhibition was developed by Dr. Folkman," Craig said.

Folkman's research aims at preventing tumors from growing, rather than targeting them directly, as treatments like chemotherapy do, Corey said.

"If you block the supply of oxygen to tumor cells, then that's an approach to controlling tumors," Corey said. "It's a very interesting scientific hypothesis. [Folkman] has been working in a pioneering way to test that."