Mirna Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that the USPTO has allowed claims related to the therapeutic application of let-7 in the regulation of oncogenes. The claims derive from a patent application that was submitted by Yale University and exclusively licensed to Mirna related to the pioneering work of Dr. Frank Slack, Professor of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology at Yale University in New Haven, CT. Let-7 was the first miRNA that was demonstrated to function as a tumor suppressor via its ability to regulate oncogene expression.
“This allowance from the USPTO provides further evidence of the critical position that the Company holds in the burgeoning field of miRNA-based therapies.”
During an extended collaboration, scientists at Mirna and Yale have shown that let-7 regulates multiple cancer-related genes and pathways, influences the sensitivity of cancer cells to radiation and chemotherapy, and affects tumor development. Using transgenic and xenograft mouse models of cancer, the two labs have demonstrated that therapeutic candidates featuring the let-7 sequence significantly inhibit tumor development and growth. Additional studies have shown that the altered expression of let-7 is important in cancer stem cell development and that the miRNA can inhibit metastasis.
"More than 100 peer-reviewed publications have detailed the involvement of let-7 in cancer development. We are very excited about the potential of let-7 based therapies being used either alone or in combination with traditional and/or targeted therapies to enhance cancer patient care," said Paul Lammers, M.D., President and CEO. "This allowance from the USPTO provides further evidence of the critical position that the Company holds in the burgeoning field of miRNA-based therapies."
Linking lifestyle to longevity: How diet and hypertension sway risks for heart disease and cancer