GenSpera, Inc, San Antonio, has acquired a patent application from the Johns Hopkins University and the University of Copenhagen for creating a new PET or SPECT imaging compound that targets tumors.
The technology incorporates derivatives of thapsigargin, the active ingredient in GenSpera’s therapeutics program, coupled with the company’s patented tumor-targeted peptides, that will create cancer-specific imaging compounds.
The compounds are designed for use with PET or SPECT modalities and allows for the detection and monitoring of tumors that have accumulated the GenSpera imaging compound.
GenSpera’s technology platform combines a potent, plant-derived cytotoxin (thapsigargin) with a pro-drug delivery system that releases the drug only within the tumor. Thapsigargin is designed to kill cells independent of their division rate, thus making it effective at killing all fast- and slow-growing cancers and cancer stem cells.
GenSpera is also developing a cancer imaging platform, derived from thapsigargin, the active ingredient in its therapeutic drugs, coupled with its patented tumor-targeted delivery system.
“The acquisition of this intellectual property allows GenSpera to extend its current expertise in thapsigargin chemistry to medical imaging modalities and complements our existing business,” said Dr. Craig Dionne, chairman and CEO of GenSpera, in the press release. “The GenSpera cancer imaging platform has the potential to dramatically improve the ability of oncologists to assess the extent of disease and monitor the ongoing progress of cancer treatments.”
For more information, visit the Company’s website.
(Source: Press Release)
