Understanding POH
At the core of NeOnc’s novel drug-delivery technology is its discovery of a proprietary synthesis of Perillyl Alcohol (POH), a naturally occurring compound that has shown efficacy in treating patients with recurrent gliomas.

What is POH
Perillyl alcohol (POH) is a naturally occurring monoterpene compound derived from the essential oils found in plants such as cherries, lavender, spearmint, and several others. Traditionally, POH has been used as a common ingredient in cleaning products, cosmetics, and fragrances in toiletries. It is permitted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a food additive, primarily for a flavoring agent.
Recent studies and laboratory research have shown that POH can interfere with the replication of dividing cells. As such, many scientists have been interested in looking at POH’s ability as an antitumor agent against a range of cancer types, including pancreatic, lung, colon, and liver cancers, in laboratory and animal studies. Research has focused on POH’s impact on the apoptosis pathway, Ras pathway, growth factors channels, AP-1 activity, cancer cell differentiation, cycle, and growth, as well as other pathways where it acts as an antitumor inhibitor. However, most of these studies have not yet translated into benefits in humans.
Recently, the medical community has focused on growing research on POH for its ability to act as a regulator for many of the neurologic pathways associated with cancer tumor cell growth.
Clinical trials of oral POH for various cancers, including breast, prostate, and ovarian cancers, did not find benefit and also noted adverse side effects, even after modifying dosing regimens to try to improve effectiveness and tolerability. However, an inhaled form of POH has shown preliminary evidence of safety and efficacy in patients with recurrent gliomas. In addition, other purified forms are being studied as chemical modifiers of established drugs used to treat cancer to improve outcomes.
Chemical Structure
The molecular structure of POH consists of one hydroxide molecule (an oxygen and a hydrogen atom bonded together), combined with a hydrocarbon molecule ( a carbon atom bonded with three hydrogen atoms) and a methylene molecule (a carbon atom bonded with two hydrogen atoms).
The molecular structure of POH consists of one hydroxide molecule (an oxygen and a hydrogen atom bonded together), combined with a hydrocarbon molecule ( a carbon atom bonded with three hydrogen atoms) and a methylene molecule (a carbon atom bonded with two hydrogen atoms).

NeOnc POH Breakthrough
As respected leaders and physicians in the neuro-oncology field, the developers of NeOnc’s patented drug delivery technology have been following the growing interest in POH as a potential aide in treating CNS-based cancer issues, especially solid tumor diagnosis such as Glioblastoma Multiforme. In 2008, NeOnc’s developers began earnestly studying POH not only as a potential drug therapy for CNS-based cancer tumors but also its unique ability to travel through the blood-brain barrier, which has always been the main contributing hindrance to effective pharma-therapy of brain-based cancers.
NeOnc’s researchers created a proprietary method of refining POH with a crystalline intermediate that enabled the production of an ultra-pure, pharmaceutical-grade formulation of POH, which they titled NEO100. In 2008, NeOnc’s developers filed their first patent on the findings titled “Therapeutic Compositions Comprising Monoterpenes,” which proposed that its POH formulation could act as an effective agent in the delivery of drugs to brain tumors and other cancers that require the transport of therapeutic agents across the BBB.
The patent was published in 2012 and, over the past decade, has been followed by more than 100 additional filings as NeOnc’s research and development continues to prove the viability of its proprietary POH formulations as a viable and effective drug-delivery platform.