C04704: Short Chain Fatty Acid (SCFA) - Carbohydrate Bifunctional Hybrid Molecules with Novel Anti-cancer Properties
Value Proposition:
Butyrate, a natural short chain fatty acid (SCFA), is well-established to have anti-cancer properties via its ability to induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in cancer cells. Currently, several clinical trials are underway for treatment of cancer (leukemia, prostate, sickle cell ulcers and liver disorder) with butyrate and its analogs. In this invention JHU inventors have developed a panel of novel sugar-based butyrate carrying small-molecules that facilitate the efficient delivery of butyrate to their site of action within cells and, importantly, also contain a pro-active carrier moiety that works synergistically to enhance the induction of cell death in cancer cells.
Technical Details:
This invention greatly improves the efficiency by which butyrate, a potential anti-cancer drug, is used by human cells. The key advance in this invention is that the sugar is specifically designed to fine-tune the cellular response of butyrate for various applications. To accomplish this objective, we have made novel specific sugar-butyrate hybrid molecules that have not been reported previously. This is a new method to attack cancer cells.
Looking for Partners:
This invention can be used to fine tune the desired pharmacological properties of butyrate, an anti-cancer drug.
