Description:
Reference #: 1721
The University of South Carolina is offering licensing opportunities for A CCL8-based cytotoxic analog for cancer management.
Background:
Deregulation of cytokine and chemokine networks is common in various malignancies and other pathologies and has causative role in disease progression. Despite however their acknowledged role in pathology, interference with their activity does not represent a strategy of choice for cancer management because their function is redundant, and their activity is usually mediated by more than one receptor. Thus, disruption of single cytokine/chemokine networks is not clinically beneficial. However, ablation of these networks may be of more utility.
Invention Description:
This invention is a cytotoxic peptide that specifically targets cytokine and chemokine networks for ablation. Cells that express specific receptors, which are themselves overexpressed in both the cells of tumor microenvironment and the cancer cells, are targeted for ablation by this peptide.
Potential Applications:
This cytotoxic peptide and its mechanism can be used as a prototype for the development of a novel class of breast cancer therapeutics. It can also be used for the therapy and treatment of other immune system-associated pathologies.
Advantages and Benefits:
This therapy does not disrupt cytokine/chemokine networks but ablates them completely. This mechanism opens the door for a new way to treat cancers and other pathologies associated with cytokine networks, as previously these pathways were not explored for possible treatment.