2014/07/30

US patent issued for a new CIC bioGUNE product to develop new cancer treatments

- Tandem-repeated Ubiquitin Binding Entities (TUBEs) enable the identification of biomarkers, new therapeutic targets and drugs against different pathologies including oncology and neurodegenerative diseases.

- The American company LifeSensors has commercialized the product since the end of 2009.

- The Basque centre holds 4 patents under exploitation out of 9 patent applications.

(Bilbao, July 2014).- A product created by CIC bioGUNE laboratories allowing the development of cancer or neurodegenerative disease fighting drugs, has recently been awarded patent by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). This product called TUBEs, also known as "ubiquitin trap", is a system which captures molecules involved in protein degradation The Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences, CIC bioGUNE, began its activity 10 years ago and currently holds 4 patents under exploitation out of 9 patent applications.

The new system under US patent enables identification of potential therapeutic targets for multiple pathologies, such as cancer and some neurodegenerative diseases, caused by a modification in the intercellular protein destruction process. This is a "molecular tool" called TUBEs which captures and protects ubiquitinated proteins - i.e.: proteins whose main role is identifying other proteins for destruction - for further identification of target proteins of therapeutic interest; in other words: acting with enhanced precision and efficacy.

TUBEs are a product created by the researcher Manuel Rodriguez's laboratory at the Basque Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences CIC bioGUNE. The product has been commercialised in the USA since 2009 by LifeSensors, after signing an agreement with the Basque research centre for non-exclusive commercial exploitation of the product.

Protein destruction

Under normal conditions, proteins are destroyed once they have fulfilled their purpose inside the cell. When this process is modified for any reason and certain proteins are not correctly destroyed, these proteins build up inside the cells and may trigger pathologies like cancer or neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease.

The product created by CIC bioGUNE is a capture system acting like a 'trap' for ubiquitinated proteins which are marked for degradation. This is similar to labelling and preparing proteins for destruction. TUBEs capture ubiquitinated proteins and show how they can be regulated. Molecular basis from protein degradation and protein activity regulation allow researchers to determine which proteins must be targeted to fight the disease.

About LifeSensors

LifeSensors is a biotechnology company specialized in discovering, developing, manufacturing and commercializing technologies in the field of UPS system proteins, aimed at the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors and the field of basic research institutes and centers. LifeSensors was created at the research centre Progenra, a global leader in researching new medicines through the ubiquitin pathway.

About CIC bioGUNE

The Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences, CIC bioGUNE, based in Parque Tecnológico de Bizkaia, is dedicated to bioscientific activities, focused on researching molecular basis of disease. This information may be used later for the development of advanced diagnostic and therapeutic methods.