Therapeutic target for metastasis-induced cachexia

This technology is a therapeutic target and diagnostic marker for cachexia, a metastatic cancer-induced muscle wasting disorder.

Unmet Need: Targeted and effective treatment strategy for metastasis-induced muscle wasting

Cachexia is a phenomenon in which tumor-secreted factors induce extensive muscle damage and weakness in cancer patients. This condition can render patients too weak to tolerate standard doses of cancer treatments and can cause premature death due to wasting of heart and diaphragm muscles. Despite the devastating ubiquity of this condition, the cellular mechanisms of cachexia are not fully understood. As such, there are currently no approved pharmaceutical treatments to alleviate this condition.

The Technology: ZIP14 as a genetic target for cachexia diagnosis and treatment

This technology identifies the zinc transporting protein ZIP14 as a primary mediator of muscle atrophy in cachexia. ZIP14 has been found to be upregulated in cachectic tissue, where it facilitates aberrant accumulation of zinc in muscle tissue, leading to muscle wasting. As a result, this technology identifies a crucial role for ZIP14 in skeletal muscle as a mediator of cancer-induced muscle atrophy, which could provide a basis for designing anti-cachexia therapies and diagnostic markers of cachectic tissue in metastatic cancers.

This technology has been validated in metastatic mouse models.

Applications:

• Therapeutic target for treatment and prevention of metastasis-induced cachexia
• Diagnostic marker to identify cachexia or susceptibility to cachexia
• Research tool for investigating mechanisms of muscle loss

Advantages:

• Targeted treatment strategy for metastasis-induced cachexia
• Detailed understanding of muscle wasting mechanisms
• Treats roots cause of cachexia, not just symptoms
• Allows for non-invasive screening and diagnosis of cachexia, even before symptoms begin

Lead Inventor:

Swarnali Acharyya, Ph.D.

Patent Information:

Patent Status

Related Publications:

• Wang G, Biswas AK, Ma W, Kandpal M, Coker C, Grandgenett PM, Hollingsworth MA, Jain R, Tanji K, Lόpez-Pintado S, Borczuk A, Hebert D, Jenkitkasemwong S, Hojyo S, Davuluri RV, Knutson MD, Fukada T, Acharyya S. “Metastatic cancers promote cachexia through ZIP14 upregulation in skeletal muscle” Nat Med. 2018 Jun; 24(6): 770-781.

Tech Ventures Reference:

• IR CU18030

• Licensing Contact: Ron Katz