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A biomarker for resistance of tumors to mTOR inhibitors

Summary

Lead Inventors: Hana Totary-Jain, Ph.D., Andrew R. Marks, M.D.Problem or Unmet Need:Drug resistance has been a great challenge for cancer therapeutics. Due to the complicated underlying mechanisms, there are few diagnostic tools for oncologists to determine whether the patient respond to a therapy, or when the patients become resistant to ongoing therapy, so they can promptly switch the patients to a second method of therapy. Particularly, the mechanism of resistance to mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) inhibitors, such as Rapamycin or several other compounds in clinical trials, is not very clear. There are currently no cancer cell biomarkers predictive of response to mTOR inhibitors. This technology identifies a protein as a biomarker for resistance of tumors to mTOR inhibitors, for it is overexpressed in rapamycin-resistant tumors and down-regulation of this protein sensitizes the resistant tumors to rapamycin treatment. In addition, the technology compares the level of this biomarker in a tumor sample to a non-cancerous sample, which provides a quantitative benchmark for resistance. Furthermore, measuring the change in protein level under rapamycin treatment provides another tool to identify rapamycin resistance. Finally, this technology explores relevant signaling pathways to overcome rapamycin resistance.

Technology Benefits

In the arena of personalized medicine, companion diagnostics would accelerate the process of drug development, and improve the safety and efficacy of cancer therapy, by understanding patients various genetic profiles. Identifying patients resistance to rapamycin would avoid the invalid treatment and save related healthcare cost.

Technology Application

Screening tool for differentiating rapamycin responsive vs. resistant patients for clinical trials Diagnostic/ prognostic biomarker for determining rapamycin resistance in clinical trials/ practice Potential therapeutics for rapamycin resistant cancer patients

Detailed Technology Description

This technology identifies a protein as a biomarker for resistance of tumors to mTOR inhibitors, for it is overexpressed in rapamycin-resistant tumors and down-regulation of this protein sensitizes the resistant tumors to rapamycin treatment. In addi...

Country/Region

USA

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