Patents & Innovations

Inventors: Dave S. B. Hoon; Laurent Lessard

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are important regulators of gene expression that have utility as biomarkers in diagnosing, prognosing and monitoring cancer. Lnc00340 is one such lncRNA that is found to be overexpressed in cancers, particularly melanomas. The invention is a method of treating a metastatic or primary cancer by inhibiting lnc00340. The method of inhibition is described in the patent.

Inventor: Richard Essner

Topical administration of anticancer drugs provides a potential therapeutic modality for melanoma. The invention includes siRNA therapeutic compounds for the treatment of melanoma. The therapeutic compounds regulate the expression of LIMK1, a key regulator of several actin-dependent biological processes including cell motility, cell cycle progression, and differentiation, processes that when gone awry lead to epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). EMT-induced metastasis contributes to the initiation and progression of many cancers including melanoma. The therapy can be delivered in a patch or lotion.

Inventor: Dave S. B. Hoon

The invention is a method of detecting a wild-type or mutant B-RAF gene in a body fluid sample from a subject. Also disclosed are methods of using B-RAF as a biomarker for detecting cancer, predicting the outcome of cancer, and monitoring the treatment of cancer or the status of cancer. Furthermore, the invention discloses methods and compositions for detecting a mutant BRAF gene bearing the V600E mutation.

Inventors: Dave S. B. Hoon; Michiel de Maat

Hypermethylation in the COX-2 promoter region indicates a favorable prognosis for gastric cancer. The invention is a method for determining a prognosis for a human gastric cancer patient using the methylation status of the genomic COX-2 promoter.

Inventors: Dave S. B. Hoon; Norihiko Narita; Atsushi Tanemura

RET G691S mutation in melanoma denotes more aggressive disease. Thus, the status of RET mutation can be used a prognostic marker in melanoma. The invention is a method of determining or predicting aggressiveness of a melanoma cancer based on the presence or absence of a RET mutation in DM (desmoplastic melanoma), non-DM, metastatic, or primary melanoma patients.

Inventors: Dave S. B. Hoon, Bret Taback

Molecular Lymphatic Mapping (MLM) uses traditional dye radioactive tracer-based techniques in conjunction with a nucleic acid marker to identify and label the Sentinel Lymph Node (SLN). MLM can be used to deliver a therapeutic gene or genes to the SLN to activate tumor immunity to tumor cells, and/or to inhibit tumor metastases. MLM can also be used to provide diagnostic information about the SLN. The methods may be combined with therapeutic intervention including chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Inventor: Donald Morton

This invention is a method for identification of lymph nodes and the presence or absence of lymph node metastases as an important prognostic factor in early-stage cancers of all types. A carbon black suspension is administered in combination with a second lymph node marker to a region associated with a tumor in a patient. The sentinel lymph node associated with the disease-associated region is identified by the accumulation of carbon particles. The lymph node is excised and then subject to histopathology for the purpose of identification, diagnosing, staging or predicting the presence of neoplastic tissue. The neoplastic tumor is any neoplasm that metastasizes via the lymphatic channels.

Inventors: Dave S. B. Hoon; Hiroya Takeuchi

This invention is a biomarker panel for melanoma that uses transcript isolated from the sentinel lymph node to predict metastatic recurrence, metastasis, progression free survival and overall Survival. The panel of mRNA transcripts are MAGE-A3, MART-1, GalNAcT and PAX3. The levels of transcript can be assessed using traditional H&E histopathology or qRT-PCR.

Inventor: Dave S. B. Hoon

This invention is a method of predicting melanoma recurrence and relapse-free survival using a panel of genes including PAX-3, GalNac-T, MAGE-A3, and MART-1 detected in the patient’s bodily fluids.

Inventor: Dave S. B. Hoon; Bret Taback

This invention is a method of detecting cancer using a cell-free bone marrow sample using one or more DNA markers indicating loss of heterozygosity, DNA hypermethylation, or mutation in KRAS or BRAF and the hypermethylation of RASSF1A, MGMT, GSTP1, RAR-β, TWIST, APC, DAPK, P16, or Cyclin D2 promoter gene regions.

Inventors: Dave S. B. Hoon; Naoyuki Umetani

Higher methylation levels of the ID4 gene indicates an elevated risk of certain cancers and higher IDE4 levels are also associated with the presence of metastatic disease. The invention is a method of determining the risk for colorectal cancer by examining the methylation status of the ID4 gene promoter.