Use of a peptide enhancing the ability of radiation therapy to kill cancer cells: a patent evaluation of WO2012016918

Abstract

Background: Faulty apoptosis is a known mechanism that leads to resistance to radiotherapy. The application (WO2012016918A1) deals with a peptide useful for disrupting this resistance mechanism and enhancing the efficiency of radiotherapy.

Methods: A peptide consisting essentially of the N2 sequence of the RasGAP protein is conjugated to the HIV-TAT_48–57 cell permeation sequence. The DNA sequence encoding the peptide (TAT-RasGAP_317–326) is synthesized and introduced into the host cells.

Results: TAT-RasGAP_317–326 is demonstrated to potentiate the efficacy of γ-irradiation-mediated cell killing both in tumor cell lines and in mouse tumor models, disregarding the status of p53, but not in non-cancer cells.

Conclusion: TAT-RasGAP_317–326 peptide favors apoptosis of tumor cells, but not normal cells in response to radiotherapy. The invention provides a specific method that is probably to be used in cancers that are radio-resistant.

Keywords::

• cancer
• peptides
• radiation therapy
• RasGAP
• TAT