Description:
Reference #: 01593
The University of South Carolina is offering licensing opportunities for Abbapolins as Inhibitors and Degraders of Polo-Like Kinases
Background:
There are no effective treatments for castration-resistant prostate cancers as all current therapies eventually fail.
Invention Description:
Novel chemicals called abbapolins are described that block the activity of a protein called Polo Like Kinase 1 essential for cells to grow and divide. These have the potential for further development as drugs for prostate and other cancers that produce high levels of this protein, or which would be sensitive to its inhibition. These act in a unique way compared to other PLK inhibitors by degrading the actual protein rather than just inhibiting it. This provides an advantage over other approaches.
Potential Applications:
The abbapolins will potentially serve as treatments for prostate cancers and others that are resistant to other forms of chemotherapy.
Advantages and Benefits:
PLK1 activity has been shown to be a key factor in developing resistance to current drugs. An effective PLK inhibitor will potentially be useful in overcoming this resistance. There are currently no approved drugs based on PLK1 inhibition. Furthermore, these compounds are orally bioavailable in mouse models of cancer and slow the growth of transplanted human tumors in vivo