Sialix announces blood test results for early detection and treatment of breast cancer

Sialix, Inc. a pioneer in glycobiology, today announced the results of a study it participated in with researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine that could have significant impact in the prediction, early detection and treatment of cancer in humans. The findings focus on using antibodies towards a non-human sugar molecule (Neu5Gc) commonly found in people and is obtained primarily through a diet of red meat. The study showed that a blood test of antibodies to one specific Neu5Gc-containing sugar chain could be used to diagnose breast cancer about as effectively as the standard PSA test which is used to test for prostate cancer today.

“A Cancer Marker and Treatment in One? UC San Diego Researchers Find Promise in Non-Human Sialic Acid Antibodies.”

The results were published today online in Cancer Research, (See Release: "A Cancer Marker and Treatment in One? UC San Diego Researchers Find Promise in Non-Human Sialic Acid Antibodies.")

"This promising research could change how cancer is detected and treated in humans," said Sundar Subramanian, CEO of Sialix, Inc. "The identification and measurement of a biomarker utilizing one specific non-human sugar molecule that is present in essentially all humans may revolutionize cancer care and well lead to the early detection of certain cancers employing a patient's blood sample." He continued, "There is more work to be done and we have already begun further research in the areas of breast, colon and prostate cancers with support and funding by the National Cancer Institute."

At the heart of the research is Neu5Gc, a non-human sugar molecule which humans get through their diet, specifically through the consumption of red meat and dairy. In previous studies by Dr. Varki and his colleagues published in Nature Biotechnology, 7/25/10, he demonstrated that Neu5Gc in biotech drugs manufactured in animal cell lines prompts the human immune system to produce an anti-Neu5Gc.

The antigen detected for breast cancer in the current paper arises from dietary Neu5Gc incorporation into the cancer marker Sialyl-Tn. It is the first example of a biomarker in the form of human "xeno-autoantibodies" to a dietary molecule. The team discovered that anti-Neu5Gc antibodies could be key to predicting cancer risk, for diagnosing cancer cases early and in high concentration, used as a treatment for suppressing tumor growth. They sampled 385 human blood samples and discovered that patients with carcinomas have elevated levels of antibodies to one specific Neu5Gc-containing sugar chain that incorporates into the cancer marker Sialyl-Tn. The scientists then found that introducing purified human anti-Neu5Gc antibodies may have immunotherapeutic potential: they specifically kill Neu5Gc-expressing mouse or human tumors when applied at higher concentrations.

"Precisely how therapeutic antibodies work in patients remains unclear, even in therapies already approved by the Food and Drug Administration," said Richard Schwab, MD, who co-led the overall research study. "It is likely a combination of signaling immune cells to kill cancer cells and antibodies directly killing cells by recruiting other proteins in the body. Understanding how lower levels of antibodies stimulate cancer growth while strong responses can kill cancer cells will be critical to moving this approach safely into cancer treatment."

The study was done by leading researchers in the field and led by Richard Schwab, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, and Ajit Varki, MD, Professor of Medicine and Cellular and Molecular Medicine, with other faculty at the UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center and the UCSD Glycobiology Research and Training Center. Collaborators include researchers from the groups of Xi Chen at UC Davis, Inder Verma at the Salk Institute and scientists from Sialix, Inc. Sialix maintains the exclusive rights to the commercialization of the biomarker and therapeutic applications of the research.