Expression System for Therapy-Induceable Genes
Reference Number TO 03-00097
The Challenge
For the majority of tumors chemotherapy is the widely used standard treatment. Despite a series of tumor-specific and individualized therapeutic regimes there is still a pressing demand for more efficiency and for a therapeutic system with an enforced cytotoxic effect of the chemotherapeutic agent on the tumor cells.
The Technology
The present invention consists of promoter-gene-constructs in which the promoter drives the expression of a downstream orientated therapeutic active gene, e.g. a cytokine gene. For the transfer of the construct into the tumor cells different standard methods are applicable. After transfer of the construct the promoter will be induced by the chemo-therapeutic agent a patient is treated with and thus the therapeutic active gene is expressed.
As a result, the “classical” chemotherapeutic substance is now used in two ways: first as a cytotoxic agent and second as an inducer of therapy-relevant gene expression.
At best the new therapeutic approach will have a synergistic effect on the applied chemotherapy and thus no additional treatment time is required.
For MDR1-Promoter-gene-construct there is in-vivo proof of concept.
Commercial Opportunity
Development of cancer treatment which accompanies and supports chemotherapy.
- collaborative preclinical/clinical phases
Patent situation
The invention is protected by two patent families:
I) MDR1 promoter-gene-construct: Priority 1992, granted patent in US, EP (validated in AT, BE, CH, DE, DK, FR, GB, IE, IT, LU, NL, SE), pending in JP.
II) LRP/MVP promoter-gene-construct: Priority 2000, pending in US and EP
Further Reading
Walther et al., Cancer Gene Therapy, 2000, Vol.7, No 6, pp 893-900
