Combined small molecule treatment as a synergistic epigenetic therapy for pancreatic cancer

This technology is a combined small-molecule treatment that induces epigenetic reprogramming as a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

Unmet Need: Improved therapeutic strategies for pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is highly lethal, ranking third in cancer-related deaths in the United States with only a 12% five-year survival rate. Factors contributing to high mortality include frequent late-stage diagnosis, aggressive tumor biology, and limited efficacy of current chemotherapy drugs, largely due to the development of drug resistance. Thus, to improve patient outcomes, there is a critical need to explore and develop new therapeutic strategies for pancreatic cancer.

The Technology: Synergistic epigenetic drug combination for pancreatic cancer treatment

This technology uses a combination comprising romidepsin, a class I histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, and a eukaryotic initiation factor 4F (eIF4A) inhibitor to target pancreatic cancer cells by epigenetic reprogramming. Treatment with this combination increased metabolic stress and induced cell death in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cell lines at low drug concentrations and short treatment periods. Using a xenograft mouse model, the in vivo experiments showed marked suppression of tumor growth upon treatment with the combination, suggesting this combination has the potential to be the first epigenetic therapy for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

This technology has been validated in mice.

Applications:

• Epigenetic therapy for pancreatic cancer
• Combination treatment to improve outcomes with traditional chemotherapy drugs
• Research tool for studying epigenetic mechanisms in cancers

Advantages:

• Highly targeted pancreatic adenocarcinoma treatment
• Improved antitumor activity as a combined, synergistic treatment method
• Effective in patients with drug resistance to traditional therapeutic strategies

Lead Inventors:

Susan E. Bates, M.D.

Antonio Tito Fojo, MD.

Patent Information:

Patent Pending

Related Publications:

• Safari M, Scotto L, Basseville A, Litman T, Xue H, Petrukhin L, Zhou P, Morales DV, Damoci C, Zhu M, Hull K, Olive KP, Fojo T, Romo D, Bates SE. "Combined HDAC and eIF4A inhibition: A novel epigenetic therapy for pancreatic adenocarcinoma." bioRxiv. 2024 Jul 02.

Tech Ventures Reference:

• IR CU23218, CU24210

• Licensing Contact: Jerry Kokoshka