Invention Summary
Cancer is the second leading cause of death by disease in the U.S. It is essential to develop anticancer agents that demonstrate good efficacy without causing systemic toxicity. The cytotoxicity of anticancer agents can be increased by targeting them specifically to the tumor cells. It can be further augmented by directing the anticancer agent to specific subcellular compartments where the drug exerts its action. Dr. Kopecek and colleagues have created a system where drugs are first passively targeted to tumor cells based on conjugation with polymers through a degradable linkage. Once endocytosed, the linker will be degraded by the lysosome and the drug will then be specifically targeted to the nucleus through an attached steroid moiety.
Market Applications
Approximately 12.5 million new cases of cancer are being diagnosed worldwide each year. The value of the worldwide cancer drug delivery market in 2005 is expected to be $7.5 billion. This will rise to $18.4 billion by the year 2010 and $38.5 billion by the year 2015.
Features and Benefits
*Lower toxicity of therapeutics due to better targeting *Enhanced solubility and bioavailability of the conjugated drug
IP Status
A formal patent application has been filed under the PCT. This technology is part of an active and ongoing research program and has been demonstrated to work in proof-of-concept experiments which include a working prototype. It is available for developmental research support and licensing under either exclusive or non-exclusive terms.
Related Research
See http://www.pharmacy.utah.edu/pharmaceutics/groups/kopecek/index.html.