This technology is a peptide nucleic acid (PNA) oligomer and single-terminus delivery peptide conjugate that minimizes non-specific cell toxicity and can be used as a cancer therapeutic.
The current standard of care for cancer involves aggressive treatments like radiation, chemotherapy, and small-molecule inhibitors, which have extensive off-target side effects. Peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) are an alternative treatment for cancer because they selectively hybridize with cancerous DNA and RNA. This hybridization suppresses transcription and thus the proliferation of cancer cells. Since PNAs specifically target cancer cells, they offer a therapeutic approach for cancer with minimized toxicity for healthy tissues.
This technology is a cancer therapeutic that improves the delivery and target stabilization of peptide nucleic acids (PNAs). The delivery peptide sequence consists of lysine residues with a hydrophobic/cationic chain on one end of the PNA oligomer, which increases the potency of transcription suppression. This PNA oligomer design also reduces non-specific toxicity in healthy cells, and thus may increase the efficacy of cancer treatment.
This technology has been validated in vitro in human cancer cell lines AsPC1 (KRAS G12D-expressing cells) and BxPC3 (KRAS WT-expressing cells).
Jeffrey H. Rothman, M.D., Ph.D.
Patent Pending (US20220144898)
IR CU19272
Licensing Contact: Joan Martinez