Description:
Reference #1279:
The University of South Carolina is offering licensing opportunities for a newly discovered Pimarane Diterpenoid for use in cancer treatment.
Background:
Cancers and other neoplastic diseases are the cause of poor health and early death in many patients throughout the world. The treatment of these diseases has traditionally been accomplished through one of, or a combination of, the following techniques: chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy, and hormone therapy. However, the differences in genetic expression, drug sensitivity, cell morphology, and metastatic targets across the dozens of known cancer types has stymied the long term success of these treatments. Acquired multiple drug resistance in response to chemotherapy remains a hurdle in cancer treatment, and demands a diverse arsenal of cytotoxic agents. Cancer recurrence and distant metastases further hinder positive prognoses in cancer patients. It is hypothesized that cancer stem cells can remain dormant and undetected in the body for years before reactivating and beginning the formation of a new tumor. There is a need for new treatments engineered to target these cells during initial treatment of cancers and after remission has occurred in order to prevent cancer recurrence. As a result of these persistent challenges in cancer treatment, there is also a need to discover and optimize the use of novel cytotoxic compounds with low IC50 values, diverse biological targets, and diminished side effects.
Invention Description:
This invention is the use of an effective dose of Pimarane Diterpenoid or its derivatives, analogues, or homologs, for the treatment of various cancers and neoplastic disorders. This compound was isolated from the plant Hymenocrater elegans and purified before being exposed, in vitro, to immortalized tumor cells. The cytotoxic effect of this compound on a diverse set of cancer phenotypes combined with the reduced number of off target effects associated with natural products makes the use of this compound an attractive option for the treatment of cancer. Further, the compound has the potential to act synergistically with current treatments in current clinical use or clinical trials including, but not limited to, other chemotherapy agents, surgical resection of tumors, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, and immunotherapy.
Potential Applications:
Natural products are a historically successful source of medicinally active compounds, and have the potential to provide targeted cytotoxic responses while limiting the taxing side effects associated with currently utilized chemotherapy treatment. The use of this invention can be applied to the treatment or prevention of tumors from an array of cancers or other neoplastic disorders.
Advantages and Benefits:
A need exists for pharmaceuticals with the ability to target hypothesized cancer stem cells in order to prevent cancer metastasis and recurrence. Another potential advantage of this technology is the ability to target tumors without affecting healthy cells, leading to a drug with fewer side effects. The possibility of these advantages has attracted numerous studies on natural compounds belonging to the diterpenoid family. The historical use of diterpenes, such as paclitaxel, as well as other medicinal plants from the Lamiaceae family may indicate the safety of this invention for humans. Finally, the demonstrated ability of this invention in combination with current chemotherapy drugs to induce higher percentages of cell death shows its potential to act as a complementary medicine to existing treatments.