Marine Organism Yields a Patented Family of Antitumor/Antibiotic Compounds

Tech ID: 19299 / UC Case 2003-248-0

Background

Actinomycetes are well known soil bacteria that were once believed to occur in the ocean only when washed in from land. Today, it is clear that unique populations of marine actinomycetes reside in ocean sediments and that these bacteria are fundamentally different from those on land. Although terrestrial actinomycetes have been the source of many of today's more than 120 drugs, marine actinomycetes have only recently been incorporated into the discovery process. These bacteria are now proving to be a particularly rich source of unique natural products, many of which display potent biological activities.

Technology Description

Researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography have discovered a new group of marine actinomycetes that have tentatively been called MAR2. These bacteria produce unique, polyketide-derived macrolides including a series of compounds called marinomycins A-D, which were discovered from the MAR2 strain CNQ-140 (Kwon et al., 2006). These compounds possess potent antibiotic and antitumor properties.

Applications

  • Novel class of molecules may provide antibiotics against MDR-bacteria in humans as well as domestic and farm animals.
  • Compositions may provide new drugs for single or combination therapy versus various cancers.

Advantages

An issued patent includes:

  • Broad claim for cyclic polyene-polyols, which are strengthened by exact specification of six compositions of matter.
  • Broad claims for methods of use as antitumor and antibiotic drugs.

State Of Development

In vitro data demonstrates:

  • Significant antimicrobial activity against numerous drug-resistant bacterial pathogens, including S. aureus, E. faecium and C. albicans.
  • Impressive and selective cancer cell cytotoxicity against six of eight melanoma cell lines in the NCI’s 60-cell line panel.

See also U.S. patent 7,521,414.

Related Materials

Patent Status

Country Type Number Dated Case
United States Of America Issued Patent 7,521,414 04/21/2009 2003-248
 

Other Information

Categorized As

Related cases

2003-248-0, 2010-329-0, 2006-079-0, 2010-351-0

Keywords

NCE, chemical entity, chemical entities, composition, marine, tumor, cancer, carcinoma, oncology, antibiotic, infection, infectious, melanoma, therapeutic, polyketide, macrolides, MAR, MDR, drug resistant

Contact

University of California, San Diego Technology Transfer Office / invent@ucsd.edu / tel: View Phone Number. Please reference Tech ID #19299.

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