Publication of PCT Patent Application Covering a Method for Preventing and Treating Oral Cancer with Extracellular Vesicles (Exosomes) Carrying miR-185
Avalon GloboCare Corp. a leading global developer of cell-based technologies, and its subsidiary Genexosome Technologies announced today the discovery and development of the world’s first saliva-based exosomal microRNA biomarker, miR-185, as a dual diagnostic and therapeutic target for oral cancer.
Oral leukoplakia, with a prevalence of 2% affecting the worldwide population, is a pre-cancerous lesion that confers increased risk for the development of oral cancer. Previously, there had been no reliable methodology to predict the progression from oral leukoplakia to malignant oral cancer. In collaboration with Beijing Stomatological Hospital affiliated with the Capital Medical University in China, Avalon and Genexosome Technologies have completed a clinical study and revealed miR185 as a novel saliva-based exosomal biomarker with strong correlation and predictive value for malignant transformation from oral leukoplakia to oral cancer. In a subsequent study, the companies further demonstrated that topical application of exosomes released from genetically modified human stem cells with increased expression levels of miR-185 can remarkably deter the progression of pre-malignant oral leukoplakia to form oral cancer. This study has been accepted as poster presentation at the upcoming 2019 Annual Meeting of International Society of Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV).
The Company also announced the publication of a PCT patent application covering a method for preventing and treating oral cancer with extracellular vesicles (exosomes) carrying miR-185 (Publication No. WO 2018/205978). This PCT application allows Avalon and Genexosome Technologies to file patent applications and seek protection in most major national and regional markets throughout the world.
“Exosomes are enriched in the tumor microenvironment and growing evidence has demonstrated that exosomes can mediate cancer progression. Given the important biological roles played by these nanovesicles in cancer initiation and progression, exosomes and their content can be used as ideal, non-invasive biomarkers in detecting and monitoring tumors as well as therapeutic targets,” commented by Yu Zhou, M.D., Ph.D., Co-CEO of Genexosome Technologies. “In addition to oral cancer, genetic engineering of exosomes provides opportunities to develop a new “medicine” for treatment of cancer and other diseases,” added Dr. Zhou.
“We are very excited to have accomplished these milestones related to our exosome diagnostic and therapeutic platforms,” stated David Jin, M.D., Ph.D., CEO and President of Avalon GloboCare and Co-CEO of Genexosome Technologies. “We believe our discovery and clinical development of saliva-based exosomal miR-185 will significantly advance the unmet area of “liquid biopsy” and bio-therapeutics in the field of oral cancer,” added Dr. Jin.
Source – Globe Newswire