05-11576. Government-Owned Inventions; Availability for Licensing: 3-Hydroxy-3-Methylglutaryl Coenzyme A Reductase Inhibitors as a Modality in Cancer Therapy

AGENCY:

National Institutes of Health, Public Health Service, DHHS.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The invention described below is owned by an agency of the U.S. Government and is available for licensing in the U.S. in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 207 to achieve expeditious commercialization of results of federally-funded research and development. Foreign patent applications are filed on selected inventions to extend market coverage for companies and may also be available for licensing.

ADDRESSES:

Licensing information may be obtained by contacting George G. Pipia, Ph.D., at the Office of Technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health, 6011 Executive Boulevard, Suite 325, Rockville, Maryland 20852-3804; telephone: [phone]; fax: [phone]; e-mail: [e-mail].

Use of Inhibitors of 3-Hydroxy-3-Methylglutaryl Coenzyme A Reductase as a Modality in Cancer Therapy

Charles Myers, Jane Trepel, Won Ki Kang, Luke Whitsell, Leonard Neckers (NCI). U.S. Patent No. 6,040,334 issued 21 Mar 2000 (DHHS Reference No. E-146-1992/0-US-23).

Licensing Contact: George Pipia; 301/435-5560; [e-mail].

The invention provides a method for treating mammalian adenocarcinomas and sarcomas comprising administration of an effective amount of an inhibitor of HMG Co-A or homologues of the inhibitor. Adenocarcinoma is known to afflict the prostate, stomach, lung, breast and colon, as well as other sites. Examples of compounds useful in the present invention are lovastatin and simvastatin as well as their homologues. Also included are compounds classified as HMG Co-A inhibitors, as well as their homologues or analogues. Generally, these HMG Co-A inhibitors are known to lower serum cholesterol in humans. However, the present invention is not so limited. That is, an inhibitor of HMG Co-A or one of its homologues may work in the method of the present invention without necessarily lowering serum cholesterol. The invention focuses not on the compound's ability to lower cholesterol, but rather on the compound's ability to treat selected cancers, such as adenocarcinomas of the prostate, stomach, lung, breast and colon and certain sarcomas such as Ewing's sarcoma.

Also provided by the invention is a method of reducing prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels in a patient having prostatic adenocarcinoma comprising administration of an effective amount of a compound which is an inhibitor of HMG Co-A or a homologue of such inhibitor. The invention also includes a method of reducing PSA in conjunction with another treatment modality.

The claims encompassing this technology are directed to the methods of treating certain types of cancer with inhibitors of HMG Co-A reductase, and specifically with lovastatin and simvastatin (see the U.S. issued patent 6,040,334: http://patft.uspto.gov/​netacgi/​nph-Parser?​Sect1=​PTO1&​Sect2=​HITOFF&​d=​PALL&​p=​1&​u=​/​netahtml/​srchnum.htm&​r=​1&​f=​G&​l=​50&​s1=​6,040,334.WKU.&​OS=​PN/​6,040,334&​RS=​PN/​6,040,334).

In addition to licensing, the technology is available for further development through collaborative research opportunities with the inventors.

Dated: June 3, 2005.

Steven M. Ferguson,

Director, Division of Technology Development and Transfer, Office of Technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health.