Tumor targeting peptides that can bind to cellular carbohydrate sequences.

Background

A major obstacle in treating cancer is the relative lack of agents that can selectively target the cancer while sparing normal tissue. For example, radiation therapy and surgery, which generally are localized treatments, can cause substantial damage to normal tissue in the treatment field, resulting in scarring and loss of normal tissue. Chemotherapy, in comparison, which generally is administered systemically, can cause substantial damage to organs such as the bone marrow, mucosae, skin and small intestine, which undergo rapid cell turnover and continuous cell division. As a result, undesirable side effects such as nausea, loss of hair and drop in blood cell count often occur when a cancer patient is treated intravenously with a chemotherapeutic drug. Such undesirable side effects can limit the amount of a drug that can be safely administered, thereby hampering survival rate and impacting the quality of patient life. The current invention provides tumor targeting peptides that can bind to cellular carbohydrate sequences.

Lead Inventor

Michiko Fukuda, Ph.D.

Fukuda lab homepage

Selected References

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Patent Information

Full title: Compounds and Methods for Targeted Drug Delivery

U.S. Patent/Application #: 61/289,833

Priority date: 12-23-2009

Foreign filing: tbd                             

Burnham ID: 09-032

Status

Available for license