Tuesday April 2, 4:21 pm Eastern Time
Press Release
SOURCE: Genzyme Molecular Oncology
Genzyme Molecular Oncology Licenses Rights to Gene Implicated in Colon Cancer Metastasis
FRAMINGHAM, Mass., April 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Genzyme Molecular Oncology (Nasdaq: GZMO - news), a division of Genzyme Corporation, announced today that it has signed an exclusive patent license for use of a gene believed to be implicated in metastatic colon cancer.
Discovered by Genzyme Molecular Oncology's research partners at The Johns Hopkins University using the patented SAGE(TM) (Serial Analysis of Gene Expression) technology, the phosphatase enzyme called PRL-3 has been shown to be expressed in much higher levels in colon cancer cells that have metastasized to the liver than in non-metastatic colon tumors and normal colon tissue.
In licensing rights to the gene, Genzyme Molecular Oncology will begin conducting research and drug development in collaboration with the team at The Johns Hopkins University to learn how metastasis believed to be associated with PRL-3 could be blocked.
Findings from the discovery, published in the October 12, 2001 edition of Science, suggest that an excess of the enzyme somehow fosters the spread of colon cancer to the liver, its principal site of metastasis. Targeting the PRL-3 gene could help researchers develop drugs to stop such an attack.
``We are very excited about the potential of PRL-3 to be a viable target for drug development,'' stated Gail Maderis, president of Genzyme Molecular Oncology. ``Licensing the rights to this gene allows us to pursue development of therapeutics, including small molecule approaches, that could be used to inhibit it in the body.''
``As a phosphatase enzyme, PRL-3 is well suited to drug discovery techniques,'' added Hans-Peter Biemann, Ph.D., senior scientist with Genzyme Corporation. ``It offers intriguing avenues to study the biology of metastasis and great promise in understanding ways in which to stop metastasis from occurring.''
PRL-3 may also provide a molecular marker to help assess tumor aggressiveness. Genzyme Genetics, a business unit of the Genzyme General (Nasdaq: GENZ - news) division of Genzyme Corporation, will pursue diagnostic opportunities related to the gene as part of this licensing agreement with The Johns Hopkins University.
In discovering the PRL-3 gene, The Johns Hopkins team that was led by Saurabh Saha, Alberto Bardelli, Ph.D., Kenneth Kinzler, Ph.D., and Bert Vogelstein, M.D., looked for the molecular changes underlying colon cancer metastasis using the SAGE technique. In their study, they sought to compare levels of gene expression in colon cancers that had metastasized to the liver with those in primary colon tumors and normal colon cells. The group proceeded to separate the cancer cells from the other cell types in their tumor samples before comparing gene expression patterns.
This analysis identified 144 genes expressed at higher levels in the metastatic tumor cells and 79 expressed at lower levels. The researchers then focused on some 38 transcripts that were higher in the metastatic lesion because of their therapeutic and diagnostic potential. Only the PRL-3 gene was found to be elevated in all the lesions examined. A total of 18 different liver metastases were reviewed, and PRL-3 was increased in each one of them.
The results were later confirmed by looking at matched normal colon tissue, primary cancer and liver metastases from a series of six patients. PRL-3 was preferentially expressed in all six metastatic lesions.
Information concerning the investigators' and The Johns Hopkins University's financial interest in Genzyme is available upon request.
According to the American Cancer Society, there will be approximately 107,000 new cases of colon cancer diagnosed this year in the United States, causing about 48,000 deaths. Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in this country, following only lung cancer.
About Genzyme Molecular Oncology
Genzyme Molecular Oncology is developing a new generation of cancer products focusing on cancer vaccines and angiogenesis inhibitors. It is shaping these new therapies through the integration of its genomics, gene and cell therapy, small-molecule drug discovery, and protein therapeutic capabilities. Genzyme Molecular Oncology is a division of Genzyme Corporation. For more information on Genzyme Molecular Oncology, please visit its website at genzymemolecularoncology.com.
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