Alliance for the Development of Novel Cancer Drugs

An alliance for the development of drugs to treat various kinds of cancers will use innovative technology that recruits cells from the patient's own immune system and activates them to work against cancer cells. This technology comes from Dr. Yoram Reiter's laboratory at the Technion Institute of Technology (Haifa, Israel). The Technion's partner in the alliance is Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd. (Petach Tikva, Israel), a leading generic pharmaceutical company.

The research team headed by Dr. Reiter has developed an approach that stimulates the activity of the immune system against cancer cells through the production, via genetic engineering, of an innovative molecule. This molecule connects in a unique manner to the cancer cells, wrapping them with the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) in a way that enables renewed presentation of these proteins to the immune system. As a result, there is increased sensitization towards the malignant cells and intensive recruitment of white blood cells to attack and kill them. This method already has proven itself efficient in killing cancer cells in the test tube. As the next step, the research group will begin animal trials in the laboratory in order to explore anticancer activities in vivo.

The Technion recently applied for patents on this discovery. Cooperation with Teva will enable intensified development of the idea and exploration of its efficiency. If it turns out to be successful, this will represent a breakthrough in the field, since the result will not be the development of a single drug but rather of a broad biological platform for the creation of a wide range of drugs for a vast number of cancers based on recruiting the activity of the immune system itself.




Related Links:
The Technion
Teva Pharmaceuticals