Novelty:The disclosed technology is a novel approach to diagnosing cancer, by looking for loss of methylation stability in gene expression instead of searching for specific methylation profiles.
Value Proposition:The conventional approach to identifying epigenetic cancer markers is by querying the methylation profiles at specific sites within the DNA. This technology highlights a fundamentally novel approach to diagnosing cancer by providing evidence that cancer may not have a specific methylation profile. Instead it has an “anti-profile”, a stochastic deviation from normal. Other advantages include:
• Discovery of a new mechanism for cancer, “gene expression heterogeneity”, that allows cells to grow despite varying challenges (chemotherapy, hypoxia, metastasis).
• Uses standard techniques to detect cancer from as few as 10-25 CpG sites.
• Methods to identify hypomethylated blocks associated with cancer and “methylation boundary shifts” at CpG islands that result in hypermethylation of the CpG islands and shores.
• A safer alternative to current drug hypomethylation strategies, as hypomethylation is likely to cause or accelerate tumor development.
Technical Details:The Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered a fundamentally novel approach to identifying cancer using gene expression heterogeneity. Because tumor heterogeneity is the leading barrier to effective cancer diagnosis and treatment; this technology consists of fundamentally novel methods for diagnosing cancer. Researchers used whole-genome bisulfite sequencing to study the DNA methylation differences between cancer types and normal cells. The combined findings have resulted in the discovery of a new mechanism for cancer, namely gene expression heterogeneity, that allows cells to grow despite varying challenges (chemotherapy, hypoxia, metastasis), and the genes that carry these properties; and provide the basis for a potentially disruptive technology associated with the diagnosis of cancer including novel methods for the diagnosing, detecting, prognosticating, and stratifying tumors will be associated with methylation anti-profiling, rather than methylation profiling for cancer.
Looking for Partners:
To develop and commercialize this technology for novel approaches to detecting, diagnosing, prognosing, and stratification of cancers
Title |
App Type |
Country |
Serial No. |
Patent No. |
File Date |
Issued Date |
Expire Date |
Patent Status |
Method of Detecting Cancer Through Generalized Loss of Stability of Epigenetic Domains, and Compositions Thereof |
PCT: Patent Cooperation Treaty |
European Patent Office |
12781728.6 |
2707506 |
5/10/2012 |
7/11/2018 |
5/10/2032 |
Granted |
Method of Detecting Cancer Through Generalized Loss of Stability of Epigenetic Domains, and Compositions Thereof |
PCT: Patent Cooperation Treaty |
France |
12781728.6 |
2707506 |
5/10/2012 |
7/11/2018 |
5/10/2033 |
Granted |
Method of Detecting Cancer Through Generalized Loss of Stability of Epigenetic Domains, and Compositions Thereof |
PCT: Patent Cooperation Treaty |
Germany |
12781728.6 |
2707506 |
5/10/2012 |
7/11/2018 |
5/10/2032 |
Granted |
Method of Detecting Cancer Through Generalized Loss of Stability of Epigenetic Domains, and Compositions Thereof |
PCT: Patent Cooperation Treaty |
United Kingdom |
12781728.6 |
2707506 |
5/10/2012 |
7/11/2018 |
5/10/2032 |
Granted |
METHOD OF DETECTING CANCER THROUGH GENERALIZED LOSS OF STABILITY OF EPIGENETIC DOMAINS, AND COMPOSITIONS THEREOF |
DIV: Divisional |
Japan |
2019-166951 |
6954964 |
5/10/2012 |
10/4/2021 |
5/10/2032 |
Granted |
Method of Detecting Cancer Through Generalized Loss of Stability of Epigenetic Domains, and Compositions Thereof |
PCT: Patent Cooperation Treaty |
Australia |
2012253414 |
2012253414 |
5/10/2012 |
6/30/2016 |
|
Granted |
Method of Detecting Cancer Through Generalized Loss of Stability of Epigenetic Domains, and Compositions Thereof |
PCT: Patent Cooperation Treaty |
United States |
14/115,617 |
10,752,953 |
1/23/2014 |
8/25/2020 |
3/2/2033 |
Granted |
Method of Detecting Cancer Through Generalized Loss of Stability of Epigenetic Domains, and Compositions Thereof |
CON: Continuation |
United States |
17/001,144 |
|
8/24/2020 |
|
|
Pending |