This technology identifies and targets a pathway for reducing brain metastasis in lung cancers with mutations in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR).
Current methods to treat lung cancer use Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs). However, some cancer cells can become resistant to TKIs, while others can evade TKIs, resulting in brain metastases. Although new generation drugs like osimertinib can cross the blood-brain barrier and should be able to target brain metastases, many patients still suffer from osimertinib-refractory relapse, where metastases proliferate until fatal. There are currently no effective treatment methods that target brain metastases in EGFR-resistant lung cancer.
This technology targets a specific intracellular protein that drives brain metastasis relapse in EGFR-mutated lung cancer through the retinoic acid (RA) signaling pathway. The pathway is targeted using pan-RA receptor antagonists to target and suppress cells that express high levels of this specific protein. This technology can be used to improve the effectiveness of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in treating EGFR-mutated lung cancer, and can especially improve prognosis in patients with higher levels of this protein, who may be more susceptible to brain metastatic relapse.
This technology has been validated in mouse models of EGFR-mutated lung cancer.
Patent Pending (WO/ 2023/141659)
IR CU22193
Licensing Contact: Kristin Neuman