Description of Invention:
Ovarian cancer is one of the most common malignancies. Warning symptoms generally do not occur until the tumor has already spread beyond the ovary. As a result, patients are diagnosed with advanced stages of ovarian cancer and their prognosis is poor. Five year survival rate for these patients is only fifteen percent and despite a clinical response of eighty percent to surgery and chemotherapy, most patients experience tumor recurrence within two years of treatment. The overwhelming majority of patients will eventually develop chemoresistance and lose their battle against cancer.
The inventors have discovered unique proangiogenic biomarkers isolated from ovarian endothelial cells. By targeting tumor angiogenesis by inhibiting endothelial cells that support tumor growth, this technology provides methods to diagnose ovarian cancer in its early stages.
Available for licensing is a gene profile that is indicative of patient survival. Unlike other biomarkers that are determined from discrete patient groups at either end of the survival spectrum, this profile is based upon expressed genes in late stage, high-grade papillary serous ovarian tumors. This predictive patient survival profile is based upon the theory that gene expression for advanced late stage ovarian cancer is more likely to develop aggressive, recurrent disease.
Also available for licensing is a gene signature that can predict whether a patient will respond positively to chemotherapy, show an initial response but will relapse within six months of completing chemotherapy, or not respond to chemotherapy. This methodology may enable clinicians to identify patients who need alternative chemotherapy regiment and to recommend cancer treatment appropriately.
Applications:
Method to prognose ovarian cancer and likelihood of aggressive, recurrent ovarian cancer.
Method to predict patient survival with advanced stage ovarian cancer.
Method to predict ovarian patient sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents.
Methods to identify treatment options to enhance patient’s response to chemotherapeutic agents.
Methods to treat ovarian cancer patients with inhibitory proangiogenic agents.
Ovarian cancer therapeutics.
Advantages:
Rapid, easy to use diagnostics.
Tool to choose appropriate cancer treatments which may avoid patient exposure to negative side effects of chemotherapy.
Market:
Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common form of cancer in women in the U.S.
Ovarian cancer is three times more lethal than breast cancer.
15,310 deaths in the U.S. in 2006.
Development Status:
The technology is currently in the pre-clinical stage of development.
Related Technologies: DHHS Reference No. E-060-2007/0 --
U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/899,942 filed 06 Feb 2007, A Gene Expression Profile that Predicts Ovarian Cancer Patient Response to Chemotherapy
DHHS Reference No. E-095-2007/0 --
U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/901,455 filed 14 Feb 2007, A Gene Expression Signature Identifying Pro-Angiogenic Genes in Ovarian Tumor Endothelial Cell Isolates
Relevant Publication: C Lu et al. Gene alterations identified by expression profiling in tumor-associated endothelial cells from invasive ovarian carcinoma. Cancer Res. 2007 Feb 15;67(4):1757-1768. [PubMed abs]
Licensing Status: Available for exclusive or non-exclusive licensing.
Collaborative Research Opportunity:
The Cell and Cancer Biology Branch of the National Cancer Institute is seeking statements of capability or interest from parties interested in collaborative research to further develop, evaluate, or commercialize a gene expression profile that predicts ovarian cancer patient response to chemotherapy. Please contact John D. Hewes, Ph.D. at 301-435-3121 or hewesj@mail.nih.gov for more information.
Portfolios: Gene Based Therapies Cancer
Cancer -Diagnostics-In Vitro Cancer -Diagnostics Cancer -Therapeutics Gene Based Therapies -Therapeutics
For Additional Information Please Contact: Jennifer Wong
NIH Office of Technology Transfer
6011 Executive Blvd, Suite 325
Rockville, MD 20852-3804
Phone: (301)435-4633
Email: wongje@mail.nih.gov
Fax: (301)402-0220
