Today, TNI BioTech announced the signing of an exclusive licensing agreement for all of the intellectual property developed at Pennsylvania State by Dr. Ian S. Zagon, Dr. Patricia J. McLaughlin, and Dr. Jill P. Smith for the treatment of cancer.
Covering methods and formulations related to the treatment and prevention of cancers, particularly gastrointestinal cancer, the patents describe the use of drugs that interact with opioid receptors (naltrexone, naloxone and the pentapeptide growth factor Met-enkephalin) to inhibit and arrest the growth of cancer. Such efficacy has been discovered to be partly due to the functional manipulation of the zeta opioid receptor through exogenous and endogenous Met-enkephalin. This receptor has been determined to be present in a variety of cancers, including pancreatic and colon cancer.
As part of this agreement, TNI BioTech is working to acquire the orphan drug designation (IND), and clinical data set from Dr. Jill Smith.
“TNI BioTech is extremely pleased to acquire the exclusive rights to the patent portfolio of the Penn State Research Foundation,” stated Dr. Ronald Herberman, Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President for Research and Development. “Based on the pioneering work of Drs. Ian S. Zagon, Dr. Patricia J. McLaughlin and Dr. Jill P. Smith, these patents are related to the therapeutic efficacy and mechanism of action of Met-enkephalin, referred to as opioid growth factor. These patent acquisitions will help TNI BioTech develop our pipeline for therapy of cancer in conjunction with our other cancer therapies revolving around Met-enkephalin.”
For a summary of a clinical trial demonstrating the benefits of OGF in the treatment of pancreatic cancer, view today’s full press release at the following link: http://dtg.fm/m9uX.
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