On March 29, 2021 AntiCancer Inc. reported that its patent application on oral methioninase has been allowed by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) (Press release, AntiCancer, MAR 29, 2021, View Source [SID1234577285]). Oral methioninase in preclinical studies has shown efficacy against cancer of all types, and against diabetes, obesity and fatty liver. It is also predicted to have efficacy against Covid-19. All of these diseases require the amino acid methionine in abnormally high amounts. Oral methioninase acts against these diseases by restricting methionine in the body.
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"Methioninase is safe since it can be taken orally," said Dr. Qinghong Han, head of oral methioninase development at AntiCancer and an inventor on the new patent. "Oral methioninase acts by drastically restricting methionine in the digestive system. It has tremendous commercial potential, as it is active against diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and Covid-19, which all require an elevated amount of methionine. Just as exciting, oral methioninase also has the potential to inhibit aging."
AntiCancer has spun out a wholly-owned subsidiary Methuselah Pharmaceuticals LLC to commercialize methioninase. "The new patent will enable AntiCancer and Methuselah to uniquely market methioninase," said Dr. Han.
AntiCancer Inc. uniquely also offers patient-derived orthotopic xenograft (PDOX) mouse models, which most closely resemble the cancer patient. AntiCancer also offers HDRA 3-dimensional tumor culture for cancer drug discovery and evaluation. Anticancer is also developing tumor- targeting bacteria; pluripotent hair follicle stem cells which form neurons and other cell types for regenerative medicine and has pioneered tumor-specific fluorescence-guided surgery.