Patent echoes for Viralytics
Monday, 30 March, 2009
Sydney company Viralytics has received a patent in the US for its range of echoviruses, which aim to bind to and infect cancer cells.
The echovirus type 1 (EV1) binds to cells expressing integrin alpha2 beta 2, a receptor on the cell surface receptor highly expressed in some cancers, particularly prostate, ovarian and gastric tumours.
Viralytics has a proprietary formulation of EV1 called Evatak, as well as a formulation for a subset of coxsackie A viruses called Cavatak. Cavatak binds to the receptors intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and decay accelerating factor.
The company is running Phase I trials of Cavatak in melanoma, prostate, breast and head and neck cancers.
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