On February 9, 2023 Ocean Biomedical and Aesther Healthcare Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: AEHA) reported that Scientific Co-founder Dr. Jack A. Elias has been awarded multiple patents for his discoveries related to suppressing tumors by regulating CHI3L1 and several connected pathways (Press release, Ocean Biomedical, FEB 9, 2023, View Source [SID1234627002]). Dr. Elias, the former Chair of Yale’s Department of Medicine, and the Dean Emeritus of Medicine and Biological Sciences at Brown University, has been granted Methods and Compositions patents for mono-specific and bi-specific antibody approaches for use in multiple cancer types, including Prostate Cancer, Colon Cancer, Rectal Cancer, Ovarian Cancer, Kidney Cancer, Breast Cancer, Glioblastoma, Melanoma, Malignant Melanoma, and Lung Cancer.
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These novel approaches to tumor suppression, are focused on controlling CHI3LI, other immune checkpoint inhibitors, and T-cell co-stimulators and have the potential to inhibit multiple different cancer pathways, and Dr. Elias is working with Ocean Biomedical to accelerate the translation of these discoveries into new treatments for patients in need. Recent studies from Ocean Biomedical have demonstrated that CHI3L1 is a critical regulator of a number of key cancer-causing pathways, highlighting its ability to inhibit tumor cell death (apoptosis), its inhibition of the expression of the tumor suppressors P53 and PTEN and its stimulation of the B-RAF protooncogene. Most recently Dr. Elias’s research team has discovered that CHI3L1 is a "master regulator" of ICPI, including key elements of the PD-1 and CTLA4 pathways. In accord with the importance of these pathways, he has also generated antibodies: 1.) a monoclonal antibody against CHI3L1, 2.) bispecific antibodies that simultaneously target CHI3L1 and PD-1, and 3.) a new bispecific antibody that simultaneously targets CHI3L1 and CTLA4. The impressive ability of these bispecific antibodies to control primary and metastatic lung cancer in murine experimental modeling systems have been discussed in detail in articles in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, and Frontiers in Immunology.
"We are especially excited that these mechanisms are not limited to one cancer type, but seem to operate across many anti-cancer pathways," Dr. Elias said recently. "This is an unprecedented leap forward and we are very pleased to have their significance so broadly recognized by the Patent Office."
"This patent protection will help Ocean Biomedical efficiently transform these CHI3L1 discoveries into treatments that have the potential to help patients in multiple cancer areas," commented Dr. Chirinjeev Kathuria, the co-founder and Executive Chairman of Ocean Biomedical.
Suren Ajjarapu, Chairman and CEO of Aesther, commented, "Immunotherapy is the future of cancer care, and Aesther is proud to be partnering with Ocean Biomedical in advancing the development of their cancer treatments, along with their fibrosis treatments, and their global malaria program. We look forward to working with Ocean Biomedical to bring all of these therapies to patients, for the long-term shareholder value and the continued advancement of medical science."