Use of non-labeled antimetabolites as cancer theranostic agents
JHU REF: C12878
Invention Novelty: This technology is a method and a system of using non-labeled antimetabolites (purine-, pyrimidine- and folate- based) and their analogs as theranostic agents with MRI imaging.
Value Proposition:
Imaging drug delivery is of great clinical importance. Achieving effective anticancer drug therapy requires not only the effectiveness of an anticancer drug to act against a particular type of cancer cells, but also the delivery of the drug so as to exceed a threshold effective level of drug activity in the full anatomic extent of the cancer cell population. Most currently available molecular imaging modalities rely heavily on the use of imaging tags, e.g., radioactive compounds for PET/SPECT and metallic compounds for MRI, which gives rise to several problems in clinical use. This technology presents a label-free MRI imaging technique to monitor drug delivery. Advantages include:
- It allows direct detection of the spatial distribution and temporal dynamic of the drugs, enabling personalized chemotherapy.
- It allows assessment of the drug resistance, predicting of drug penetration to tumor stroma, and stratification of patients in clinical trials and clinical practices.
- It is easily accessible in clinical setting as standard MRI scanners can be used for this procedure.
- Directly visualizing and quantifying drugs could significantly reduce the cost (i.e., time and money) of clinical trials.
Technical Details: Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered that the inherent MRI signal carried on the molecules of antimetabolites can be utilized to detect and quantify the administered anticancer drugs using chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) MRI. This approach allows transforming of three categories of currently available metabolites (purine-, pyrimidine- and folate- based) and their analogs, as well as drug delivery systems containing these agents, including those already in the clinic and those still under pre-clinical development, to be theranostic agents, without any radioactive-, paramagnetic- or super-paramagnetic-based labeling.
Looking for Partners: To develop and commercialize the technology as a clinical imaging solution for stratifying patient before and/or during chemotherapy to select patients with the appropriate treatment plan.
Stage of Development: Discovery
Data Availability: In vitro phantom studies and in vivo animal studies
Patent Status: PCT Application Pending, Publication No. WO 2015/134934
Publication(s)/Associated Cases: Not at this time
Categories: Imaging
Keywords: MRI; chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST); antimetabolite; drug delivery; personalized medicine; cancer
