Description:
Background
HER-3 is a receptor in the tyrosine kinase family that is a key oncogenic protein in breast cancer as well as other cancers. HER-3 is centrally involved in signaling leading to tumor growth and has been implicated in resistance to cancer treatments, making it an attractive target for cancer therapies.
Several drugs, including some in clinical use, directly target HER-2, the oncogenic signaling partner of HER-3. However, these treatments often activate compensatory HER-3 signaling, which circumvents the activity of the drug and frequently leads to treatment failure. Drugs that target HER-3 could be used alone or in conjunction with HER-2 inhibitors to increase the efficacy of treatment.
Technology Highlights
Inventors at the UT Health Institute for Molecular Medicine have developed monoclonal antibodies that are able to bind to the oncogenic HER-3 receptor to prevent downstream signaling and inhibit cancer cell proliferation. These antibodies are able to prevent the proliferation of human breast cancer cells, and have the potential to serve as cancer therapeutics or diagnostics.
Market
The global market for kinase inhibitors is approximately $30 billion. In recent years, tyrosine kinase inhibitors have represented the fastest growing segment for the cancer therapeutic market. In 2012, sales of monoclonal antibody-based therapeutics exceeded $50 billion, with 6 of the 15 top selling drugs being monoclonal antibodies.
Possible Features and Benefits of this Technology
· potential to detect certain cancer types
· potential to inhibit cancer cell proliferation
UTHealth Ref. No.: 2013-0024
Inventors: Dr. Zhiqiang An and Dr. Ningyan Zhang
Patent Status: PCT application PCT/US2014/025446 now nationalized, granted and validated in EPO and China; Issued U.S. Patent No. 10,358,501; pending U.S. Continuation applications.
License Available: world-wide, exclusive or non-exclusive