New York company to
develop Ohio
University
cancer drug
discovery
Investors finance
further testing of
promising
treatment for
ovarian cancer
Athens, Ohio (Feb.
1, 2011) --
New York-based
company Phosplatin
Therapeutics
(pronounced foss-Plah-ten)
has licensed a new
class of anti-cancer
compounds developed
at Ohio University
that could lead to
a new chemotherapy
treatment for
ovarian cancer and
other solid tumors.
Professor
Rathindra Bose,
the institution’s
vice president for
research and dean of
the Graduate
College, designed
and conducted the
studies on the new
compounds, which
have successfully
and safely inhibited
ovarian cancer tumor
progression in mice.
The compounds,
called
phosphaplatins,
exhibit evidence of
three crucial
anti-cancer
properties governed
by genetic signals:
inducing cell death
in cancer cells,
reducing the tumor’s
demand for blood and
nutrients to support
its growth and
preventing the
spread of tumor
cells. Platinum has
historically been
one of the most
potent classes of
chemotherapy drugs,
but is also known to
have severe toxic
effects on the body
which limit its use.
Bose's compounds −−
a combination of
phosphate and
platinum −− activate
specific genes,
promote expression
of trans-membrane
proteins of cancer
cells and transmit a
set of signals to
the interior of the
cells, thereby
killing them and
preventing spread of
the disease without
damaging DNA in the
cell nuclei. The
compounds were also
designed to overcome
some patients'
resistance to
platinum
chemotherapies and
to remain more
stable in the body
so they are not
bound to proteins, a
common cause of
toxicity.
Phosphaplatins have
demonstrated
potential to be more
effective and more
targeted drugs,
which create fewer
side effects in
patients. Studies
have shown that the
phosphaplatins can
kill ovarian cancer
cells, including
cells resistant to
conventional drugs,
at a fraction of the
dosage, but at equal
or greater potency.
"Scientifically
speaking, this is a
paradigm shift for
designing platinum
cancer therapeutics
by targeting
multiple pathways to
control growth,
inhibit spreading
and specifically
kill cancer cells
without binding
DNA," Bose said.
"Our compound is
unique in displaying
all three properties
in killing cancer
cells and
controlling their
proliferation."
Robert Fallon, chief
executive officer of
Phosplatin
Therapeutics, said
he found early test
results compelling
enough to gather
founding investors
and establish the
company last year.
"Dr. Bose has
figured out a way to
design a compound
with the potency of
successful platinum
therapies without
the commonly known
damaging effects,"
said Fallon, who
also serves as a
trustee on the Ohio
University
Foundation Board.
"The results of
early testing are
very, very
encouraging, and his
understanding of the
drugs’ novel
mechanism of action
is profound. I saw a
need to bring this
into
commercialization.
When the research is
complete, the hope
is we will have a
new chemotherapy
drug which can
positively impact
patients around the
world."
Ohio University has
a strong track
record of licensing
research technology,
particularly in the
area of health and
wellness. Royalty
income – which
totaled $8.2 million
in 2010 – is
consistently the
highest of any
public education
institution in Ohio,
the majority
stemming from a
license to Pfizer
for another drug
originally
discovered at Ohio
University.
"We value our
partnerships with
Robert Fallon and
other visionaries
who are committed to
furthering science
and its benefit to
humanity," said Ohio
University President
Roderick J. McDavis.
"These relationships
have brought Ohio
University
researchers the
opportunity to take
groundbreaking
research into the
marketplace, where
the discoveries
elevate the human
condition and
support future
research
initiatives."
In a collaborative
effort, Phosplatin
Therapeutics has
started quarterly
payments to Ohio
University that will
total $600,000 for
Bose’s laboratory to
continue his work
with the compounds.
The research will
now focus on how
phosphaplatins work,
how the drug
distributes through
the body, potential
toxicity and the
effects at various
doses, Bose said.
The company, for
which Bose will
serve as a
scientific advisor,
will then seek to
obtain an
Investigational New
Drug Application
through the Food and
Drug Administration
(FDA) for human
clinical drug
trials.
The first drug
developed for the
treatment of ovarian
and testicular
cancers, cisplatin,
was approved for use
in 1982. Though it's
95 percent
effective, it works
best during the
early stages of the
disease, and some
patients develop a
resistance to it.
Two drugs introduced
later, carboplatin
and oxaliplatin
(which is used for
colorectal cancer),
overcame some of
those problems, but
still they can harm
numerous organs and
bodily systems of
patients, said Bose.
Unlike cisplatin,
which can decompose
quickly and create
additional toxic
side effects through
the decomposition
products, the new
compounds show no
signs of degradation
after seven days, he
added.
Bose is a professor
with joint
appointments in the
Department of
Biomedical Sciences
in the College of
Osteopathic Medicine
and the Department
of Chemistry and
Biochemistry in the
College of Arts and
Sciences. He also is
a principal
investigator at the
Edison Biotechnology
Institute, where he
conducts his
research.
Bose has been
studying alternative
compounds, molecular
targets, and genetic
processes for these
cancers for over 20
years, including at
his previous
institution,
Northern Illinois
University, before
his appointments
with Ohio University
in 2008.
"Dr. Bose’s work,
which is the product
of years of
experimentation and
dedication,
illustrates the type
of contributions
that faculty at
public universities
can make," said
Executive Vice
President and
Provost Pam Benoit.
"He has expanded the
realm of scientific
knowledge in
important ways while
helping to sow the
seeds for future
discoveries through
his work with
graduate students
and post-doctoral
researchers."
Fallon said he
understands the
attempt to create an
effective new drug
is risky, but worth
the investment of
time and money.
"Regardless of the
outcome, at the end
of the day we can
say we have advanced
the cause of
science," he said.
Media contact: Jennifer
Krisch, media
specialist, at
740-597-1939 or
krisch@ohio.edu
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