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news.MultiCell Technologies has filed additional US and international patent applications covering MCT-485 and its composition of matter, biological targets, mechanism of action, and methods and formulations for therapeutic use.
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MCT-485 is a very small noncoding double stranded RNA (dsRNA) molecule which has demonstrated a unique cytotoxic, oncolytic, and immune stimulating activity in in vitro models of hepatocellular carcinoma.
MCT-485 is thought to target cancer by delivering a cytotoxic and oncolytic effect to only those cells having the highest tumor initiating capability that are part of the cancerous process such as cancer stem cells and tumor initiating cells. MCT-485 appears to have no effect on cells not directly involved in the process of relapse, progression and metastasis of cancer.
MCT-485 has demonstrated in in vitro models the ability to kill transformed liver cancer cells while not harming normal, non-transformed liver cells.
MultiCell Technologies chairman and CEO W Gerald Newmin said: "MCT-485 addresses the need to directly target liver cancer cells and not normal liver cells."
MCT-485 is currently being evaluated in animal models of hepatocellular carcinoma. MultiCell also plans to study MCT-485 in relevant in vitro and animal models for other major cancers.
In contrast to other species of RNAs including siRNAs, MCT-485 appears to induce cancer cell death through a biological process called pyroptosis; a caspase 1-dependent self-destruction cell death that involves pro-inflammatory cytokine production.
Typically, pyroptosis is triggered by various pathological stimuli. MCT-485 is thought to suppress or modify the amount of mRNA being expressed by various genes linked to the metabolism, proliferation and viability of cancer cells thereby inducing a state of cellular stress within the cancer cell.
MCT-485 appears to exert a preferential biological activity on transformed liver cancer cells while showing no effect on normal, non-transformed liver cells.