DiaTech Oncology files patent for Drug Discovery to validate cancer treatment

Sep 8 2010

 DiaTech Oncology has announced the filing of a patent for Drug Discovery that will provide a new strategy and approach to validate drugs that may be more effective in treating cancer patients.

The Microculture Kinetic (MiCK) assay for apoptosis is an advanced novel technology different from all prior unsuccessful chemoresistance assays. The MiCK assay measures the precise timing and quantification of apoptosis induced in tumor cells by chemotherapy drugs or experimental anticancer drugs. Cancer cells exposed to a new, experimental chemotherapy drug can be monitored for as much as 96 hours for apoptosis. This allows for the detection and quantification of apoptosis induced by the proposed drug as it occurs. The assay employs the use of spectrophotometric readings every 5 minutes to measure morphologic and physicochemical changes in the tumor cells as a measure of apoptosis. Pharmaceutical companies can then concentrate development resources on drugs that are most active against tumor cells, and can also identify which patients might respond best to the experimental chemotherapy agents in clinical trials. Because of this unique capability the MiCK assay can be a valuable tool in the field of Drug Discovery by reducing the costs associated with validation studies and the time required to obtain FDA approval for marketing.

Pharmaceutical companies currently spend an average of 7 to 10 years and $100 to $500 million dollars for development of an individual drug. Despite the high costs, there are still low rates of overall success. DiaTech has engaged with several large international pharmaceutical companies to use the MiCK technology in determining drug effectiveness for new drugs and expanding the current use of existing drugs to additional tumor types and has validated the concept.

The Microculture Kinetic (MiCK) assay for apoptosis is currently being used to predict chemotherapy response in cancer patients. The company previously launched a patient testing model to provide physicians treating individual cancer patients the ability to predict what chemotherapy can be effective. Currently, Oncologists prescribe chemotherapy treatment based on empirical research collected and evaluated on specific cancers. The MiCK assay allows cancer patients to receive an individualized report measuring sensitivity of selected chemo drugs and assisting the Oncologists in selection of the personalized treatment most likely to succeed.

"We are pleased with the progress made in establishing the MiCK assay for use in patient testing and currently have pilots underway with several institutions that will allow Oncologists the ability to order the test for their cancer patients. We have also been working with several large pharmaceutical companies to validate the use of the MiCK technology in identifying more effective treatment with existing drugs and to speed up the process for new drug discovery," said Garry Latimer, DiaTech Founder and CEO. "Our studies have demonstrated the MiCK assay works on all common cancers and because it is the only technology available to measure apoptosis directly we have a unique opportunity to partner with companies that are working to advance more effective treatment for cancer patients."