ASSAYS FOR ANTI-CANCER AGENTS - Isis Project No 2664

Oxford researchers have developed a method for identifying inhibitors which can act against the cancer target Mina53.  Such inhibitors will be useful in treating colon tumours and oesophageal cancer. 

Marketing Opportunity

Colorectal cancer is the third most common form of cancer worldwide and the survival rate after 5 years is only 50% of patients. 

Oesophageal carcinoma (or cancer of the gullet) is now the 9th most common cancer in the UK with ca. 7,500 new cases diagnosed every year. 

Both these cancer types are linked with a protein known as Mina53 (or to give its full title, MYC induced nuclear antigen, isoform 2). In colon cancer, elevated expression of Mina53 is viewed as a characteristic feature.  Proliferation of colon tumour cells in vitro was severely reduced when production of Mina53 in the cells was suppressed.  In oesophageal cancer cell lines Mina53 levels were elevated in 83% of cell lines tested, and high expression levels of Mina53 are also linked to shorter survival periods.

These observations indicate that reduction of Mina53 activity would be of benefit in treating these cancers, but little was known about its function and no method has existed for producing and purifying Mina53.  These practical issues have made it difficult to study Mina53 in more detail as a target for cancer therapy.

The Oxford Invention

Researchers in the department of Chemistry have now developed a method of producing and purifying Mina53.  This has enabled them to show for the first time that Mina53 is an enzyme that acts as an oxygenase, using molecular oxygen to carry out oxidation reactions on a substrate.  The Oxford researchers have used these insights to design assay systems for testing new inhibitors of Mina53.  Inhibitors identified by the assays may be useful in treatment of cancer.

Patent Status

This work is the subject of patent application, and Isis would like to talk to companies interested in developing the commercial opportunity that this represents. Please contact the Isis Project Manager to discuss this further.

Keywords

anticancer, anti-cancer, Mina53, target inhibitor, cancer colon, oesophageal, carcinoma, colorectal,oxygenase, assay

Request Further Information: Project Number 2664 ASSAYS FOR ANTI-CANCER AGENTS