Patent application involving miRNAs and CSCs

Methods and Compositions Involving miRNAs in Cancer Stem Cells, Patent Application WO/2010/056737. [FriendFeed entry].

One of the applicants is Mirna Therapeutics, Inc.

CSC news update 2010-05-24

For links to recent news items about CSC, visit this [Topsy] page. An example of a news item that has received attention in the past week:

Markers on xenograft-initiating cells in estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer http://bit.ly/9Xhzbp. Hashtag: #cancerSC. Posted to Twitter on Fri May 21, 2010 via TweetDeck. [PubMed Citation]

An evolving concept of CSCs in tumor biology

An evolving concept of cancer stem cells in tumor biology: a lecture (34:38 min) by Jeremy N Rich. Webcast of the initial presentation at an Educational Session on Cancer Stem Cells and Treatment Resistance, AACR 101st Annual Meeting, April 17, 2010. [FriendFeed entry].

Comment: Dr. Rich's research has a primary emphasis on Glioma Cancer Stem Cell and Brain Tumors. An example of a recent publication: Integrin Alpha 6 Regulates Glioblastoma Stem Cells by Justin D Lathia and 10 co-authors, including Jeremy N Rich, Cell Stem Cell 2010(May 7); 6(5): 421-32. [PubMed citation][FriendFeed entry].

US Patent: Isolation and use of solid tumor stem cells

Isolation and use of solid tumor stem cells, United States Patent 7,713,710. [FreePatentsOnline][PatentStorm].
Publication Date: May 11, 2010.
Inventors: Clarke; Michael F. (Ann Arbor, MI), Morrison; Sean J. (Ann Arbor, MI), Wicha; Max S. (Ann Arbor, MI), Al-Hajj; Muhammad (Ann Arbor, MI).
Assignee: The Regents of the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI) .
Appl. No.: 11/753,191
Filed: May 24, 2007
Abstract:

A small percentage of cells within an established tumor have the properties of stem cells. These solid tumor stem cells give rise both to more tumor stem cells and to the majority of cells in the tumor that have lost the capacity for extensive proliferation and the ability to give rise to new tumors. The solid tumor heterogeneity reflects the presence of tumor cell progeny arising from a solid tumor stem cell. This discovery is the basis for solid tumor stem cell compositions, methods for distinguishing functionally different populations of tumor cells, methods for using these tumor cell populations for studying the effects of therapeutic agents on tumor growth, and methods for identifying and testing novel anti-cancer therapies directed to solid tumor stem cells.

Parent Case Text:

CLAIM OF PRIORITY
This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/150,073, filed Jun. 10, 2005, which is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/920,517, filed Aug. 1, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,984,522, which claims priority to U.S. provisional applications Ser. No. 60/222,794, filed Aug. 3, 2000, and Ser. No. 60/240,317, filed Oct. 13, 2000, all of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entireties.

Google patents entry for Application Number 11/753,191 (The application that led to patent 7,713,710. The filing date was 24 May 2007).

Google patents entry for Application Number 11/150,073 (See Parent Case Text above: the filing date was 10 June 2005).

Google patents entry for Patent Number 6,984.522 (See Parent Case Text above: the filing date was 1 August, 2001 and the issue date was 10 Jan 2006). [FreePatentsOnline][PatentStorm].

Comment:

Not mentioned in the Parent Case Text above is United States Patent 7,115,360. [FreePatentsOnline][PatentStorm]. This patent was issued October 3, 2006 and filed on August 2, 2001.

The Parent Case Text for patent 7,115,360:

CLAIM OF PRIORITY
This patent is the United States national stage of PCT patent application PCT/US01/24243, published Feb. 14, 2002 as WO 02/12447, which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/920,517, filed Aug. 1, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,984,522. This patent also claims priority to provisional patent applications U.S. Ser. Nos. 60/222,794, filed Aug. 3, 2000, and 60/240,317, Oct. 13, 2000.

Information about this patent was found via a Google search for "Isolation and use of solid tumor stem cells".

Generic drug a potential treatment for glioblastoma?

DCA research on brain cancer, EurekAlert, May 12, 2010. [FriendFeed entry]. Excerpt: "... the orphan generic drug Dichloroacetate (DCA) may hold promise as potential therapy for ... a form of brain cancer called glioblastoma". Another excerpt:

By extracting glioblastomas from 49 patients over a period of 2 years and studying them within minutes of removal in the operating room, the team showed that tumors respond to DCA by changing their metabolism. Then, the team treated 5 patients with advanced glioblastoma and secured tumor tissues before and after the DCA therapy. By comparing the two, the team showed that DCA works in these tumors exactly as was predicted by test tube experiments. This is very important because often the results in non-human models tested in the lab do not agree with the results in patients. In addition, the team showed that DCA has anti-cancer effects by altering the metabolism of glioblastoma cancer stem cells, the cells thought responsible for the recurrences of cancer.

And,

No conclusions can be made on whether the drug is safe or effective in patients with this form of brain cancer, due to the limited number of patients tested by the study's leads Drs Michelakis and Petruk. Researchers emphasize that use of DCA by patients or physicians, supplied from for-profit sources or without close clinical observation by experienced medical teams in the setting of research trials, is not only inappropriate but may also be dangerous. ...

See also: Generic drug may be potential treatment for deadly brain cancer: U of A medical study by Noreen Remtulla and Julia Necheff, ExpressNews, University of Alberta, May 12, 2010.

And: Potential brain-cancer drug shows promise, CBC News, May 12, 2010. [CBC video].

And: Cancer drug trial raises hopes by Elise Stolte, Edmonton Journal, May 13, 2010.

These news reports are about the publication: Metabolic Modulation of Glioblastoma with Dichloroacetate by Evangelos D Michelakis and 12 co-authors, including Kenneth C Petruk, Sci Transl Med 2010(May 12); 2(31): 31ra34.

See also an editorial: Targeting Cell Metabolism in Cancer Patients by Matthew G Vander Heiden, Sci Transl Med 2010(May 12); 2(31) :31ed1. From the TOC: "Dichloroacetate can safely modify glucose metabolism in aggressive brain tumors when administered to patients". Last sentence of the editorial: "Time will tell whether this strategy constitutes an effective cancer therapy".

Comments: After an initial research publication in January 2007 [PubMed citation], DCA attracted much attention. See, for example, the Wikipedia entry for Dichloroacetic acid. And, Cancer society warns of untested drug, CBC News, March 22, 2007.

The Official University of Alberta DCA Website provides FAQs about DCA. It includes, in the News & Updates section, DCA Research Team publishes results of Clinical Trials (dated May 12, 2010) and an earlier Letter from Dr. Evangelos Michelakis (dated October 2008).

CSC news links 2010-05-08

For links to recent news items about CSC, visit this [Topsy] page. Examples of two news items that have received attention in the past week:

New research links ovarian hormones with breast stem-cell growth - Globe and Mail http://bit.ly/brT71E. Hashtag: #cancerSC. Posted to Twitter on Wed May 06, 2010 via TweetDeck. [PubMed Citation]

Broccoli compound limits breast cancer (about sulforaphane) http://bit.ly/9blnNP & http://bit.ly/aOTSDv. Hashtag: #cancerSC. Posted to Twitter on Wed May 05, 2010 via TweetDeck. [PubMed Citation]

CSC news links 2010-05-01

For links to recent news items, visit these [Twitter] or [FriendFeed] pages. Examples of two news items that have received attention:

• Distinct expression levels and patterns of stem cell marker, aldehyde dehydrogenase isoform 1 (ALDH1), in human epithelial cancers by Shan Deng and 15 co-authors, including George Coukos and Lin Zhang, PLoS ONE, 2010(Apr 21); 5(4): e10277 [Connbotea bookmark][PubMed Citation][OA full text]. Last sentence of the abstract:

  As a novel cancer stem cell marker, ALDH1 can be used for tumors whose corresponding normal tissues express ALDH1 in relatively restricted or limited levels such as breast, lung, ovarian or colon cancer.

• AACR: Are Cancer Stem Cells Vulnerable to Trastuzumab? By Ed Susman, MedPage Today (Apr 19) [FriendFeed entry][AACR10 abstract]. Excerpt:

  Mathematical modeling suggests that even in women whose breast cancer does not overexpress the HER-2 gene, treatment with trastuzumab (Herceptin) in the adjuvant setting could wipe out cancer stem cells, researchers reported here.

  
  

More about presentations at AACR10

Five presentations at the 101th annual meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research were highlighted a news release from Geron Corporation (dated March 3, 2010). One presentation that had an explicit focus on CSC was this poster:

Imetelstat, a telomerase inhibitor in phase I trials in solid tumor and hematological malignancies, has broad activity against multiple types of cancer stem cells [Presentation Abstract].

Also mentioned in the news release was an oral presentation by Jerry W Shay, given as part of the Major Symposium entitled: Role of Telomeres and Telomerase in Chromosomal Stability and Disease [Session Detail]. The presentation was:

Role of telomerase in normal and neoplastic stem cells [Presentation Abstract].

Another poster about the telomerase inhibitor imetelstat (GRN163L) was:

Sensitivity and resistance of non-small cell lung cancer to the telomerase inhibitor imetelstat [Presentation Abstract].

Comments: A search of the ClinicalTrials.gov database for GRN163L revealed 6 trials. Four were ongoing, but not recruiting participants. Two were still recruiting: 1) Safety and Dose Study of GRN163L Administered to Patients With Refractory or Relapsed Solid Tumor Malignancies; 2) A Study of GRN163L With Paclitaxel and Bevacizumab to Treat Patients With Locally Recurrent Or Metastatic Breast Cancer.

An analogous search for imetelstat yielded the same 6 trials. All 6 trials have been sponsored by Geron Corporation.