Advancement in Platinum Based Cancer Therapeutics

One of the limitations of chemotherapy in ovarian cancer is the innate/acquired drug resistance in cancer cells. Although increased DNA repair has been shown to be a major mechanism of cancer drug resistance, not much was done until recently to address this challenge. The researchers at The University of Toledo have discovered small drug like molecules that can overcome drug resistance to achieve better therapeutic responses in ovarian cancer. This technology could solve the long standing problem of drug resistance in cancer treatment and be universal in the treatment of all cancers treated with DNA damaging chemotherapy. 

Invention Description

Researchers at The University of Toledo have discovered small drug like molecules that block the removal of cisplatin from DNA.

Applications

As chemotherapy enhancers to overcome the clinical limitation of drug resistance in ovarian and other cancers.

Advantages

• Inhibits ERCC1-XPF, one of the DNA repair protein complexes, that blocks the removal of cisplatin from DNA.
• Enhances the cancer killing activity of cisplatin in cell culture models. 
• Works well with other chemotherapeutic drugs such as carboplatin, oxaliplatin etc
• Can be advantageous in clinical trials and improve responses as well as survival rates in ovarian cancer patients. 

IP status: US 9,821,008

References:

1.   Downregulation of XPF-ERCC1 enhances cisplatin efficacy in cancer cells.

2.   Enhanced cisplatin cytotoxicity by disturbing the nucleotide excision repair pathway in ovarian cancer cell lines.

3.   Identification of DNA repair gene Ercc1 as a novel target in melanoma.