Coformycin- Novel Cancer Therapy for Epithelial Cancers

Overview
NorthShore University HealthSystem Research Institute is seeking a company to license and/or co-develop a potential cancer therapy, coformycin, for the treatment of epithelial cancer. In 2006, 1.4 million Americans are expected to be diagnosed with cancer and in 80% of those cases (more than 1.1 million people), the tumors will be of epithelial origin. Our investigators have discovered that coformycin could be effective against human tumors of epithelial origin, namely from lungs, breast, gastrointestinal tract, genitourinary tract and the reproductive organs.

Applications

Treatment against cancers of epithelial origin such as lung, breast, ovarian, and colon cancer. Could be used as part of a combination treatment strategy.

Advantages

• Additional therapeutic efficacy alone in combination therapies

• Lower negative side effects, particularly for peritoneal routes of administration.

Description

In the lab, epithelial cancer cells are grown in relatively normal oxygen conditions. Adding adenosine and coformycin together kills these cells. However, adenosine levels in human tumors including breast, lung and colon,tumors greater than 1 mm are 500 fold higher than in healthy tissue, presumably because the tumor is hypoxic. Therefore, when coformycin is combined with this high level of adenosine in the tumors, the cancer cells die, but because healthy tissue is so low in extracellular adenosine, normal cells are spared.