Out-licensing

A novel CPE splice variant (designated CPE-deltaN) whose expression levels increase according to the presence of cancer and metastasis wherein this variant is upregulated in tumors and further increased in metastatic cancer.

Detecting cancer prior to metastasis greatly increases the efficacy of treatment and the chances of patient survival.  Although numerous biomarkers have been reported to identify aggressive tumor types and predict prognosis, each biomarker is specific for a particular type of cancer, and no universal marker that can predict metastasis in a number of cancers have been identified.  In addition, due to a lack of reliability, several markers are typically required to determine the prognosis and course of therapy.

 

The inventors discovered a novel CPE splice variant designated CPE-deltaN and found its expression levels increase according to the presence of cancer and metastasis wherein this variant is upregulated in tumors and further increased in metastatic cancer.  This data has been demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo experiments and in liver, breast, prostate, colon, and head and neck cancers.  Metastatic liver cells treated with CPE-deltaN siRNA reversed the cells from being metastatic and arrested cells from further metastasis.  Thus, this novel CPE isoform is a biomarker for predicting metastasis and its inhibitors have an enormous potential to increase patient survival.

 

Applications:

• Method to prognose multiple types of cancer and determine likelihood of metastasis
• Method to prevent and treat cancer with CPE inhibitors
• Method to determine the stage of cancer development
• CPE-deltaN pharmaceutical compositions

Preclinical

U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/080,508 filed 14 Jul 2008 (HHS Reference No. E-234-2008/0-US-01)

 

Inventors: 

Y. Peng Loh et al. (NICHD)

 

Licensees Sought: 

Available for exclusive or non-exclusive licensing.

 

Collaborative Research Opportunity: 

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Laboratory of Development Neurobiology, is seeking statements of capability or interest from parties interested in collaborative research to further develop, evaluate, or commercialize Method for Predicting and Detecting Tumor Metastasis.  Please contact Joseph M. Conrad, LD, PhD, at 301-435-3107 or jmconrad@mail.nih.gov for more information.