Application: Cancer treatment, including vaccines, targets for immune stipulation, drug, or biological modifier delivery

Molecules, like CA125, that are expressed on the surface of tumor cells provide potential targets for immune stipulation, drug delivery, biological modifier delivery or any agent that can be specifically delivered to ultimately kill the tumor cell. Until recently, there was no definitive information on the CA125 gene's structure and function. Researchers have cloned, identified, and expressed the CA125 gene's glycosylated amino terminal domain, the multiple repeat domain, and the carboxy terminal domain, which includes a transmembrane anchor with a short cytoplasmic domain.

CA125 requires a transcript of more than 35,000 bases and occupies approximately 150,000bp on chromosome 19q 13.2. The multiple repeat domain comprises 156 amino acid repeat units of the CA125 molecule. Also, the repeat units include the epitopes that are now well described and classified for both the major class of CA125 antibodies of the OC125 and the M11 groups. The existence of the repeat sequences was confirmed by expression of the recombinant protein E.coli where both OC125/M11 class antibodies were found to bind to multiple sites on the CA125 molecule.

It is anticipated that this new information will provide the basis of understanding CA125's structure and its' physiologic role in both normal and malignant tissues. The molecule also includes an amino terminal domain of serine/threonine rich sequences, which accounts for most of the O-glycosylation known to be present in the gene. CA125's release from the surface of the cell is dependent on cytoplasmic phosphorylation followed by proteolytic cleavage.

It is well established that CA125 is not uniquely expressed in ovarian carcinoma, being also found in both normal secretory tissues and other carcinomas. Most past references to CA125 are focused on its clinical value. The use of recombinant CA125 with epitope binding sites has additional and valuable applications in diagnostics, therapeutics, vaccines, gene, and antisense therapy.

01-07 & 02-10

Patent Status: 01-07 Pending, PCT applied 01-07a Pending 02-10 Pending

Licensing Status: Available for Exclusive Licensing

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