Description:
Carbidopa is an FDA approved drug currently used in combination with Levo-Dopa to treat Parkinson’s disease. Carbidopa, itself, has no effect on Parkinson's patients, but by increasing the availability of Levo-dopa in the brain enhances the effectiveness of the drug in patients. As such, these two drugs are always prescribed together.
Researchers have found that Carbidopa, taken alone, is an effective anticancer drug for the treatment of pancreatic and breast cancer in mouse models. The mechanism of action for Carbidopa is related to the inhibition of a critical immunosuppressive enzyme induced in tumor cells and inhibition of the generation of stress hormones that promote caner growth and progression. This discovery may imply broader applications in many types of cancer taken alone or in combination with other anticancer drugs.
Reference Number: D-1152
Market Applications:
- Pharmaceutical
- Health Care (Broad-scope Cancer Treatment)
Features, Benefits & Advantages:
- Novel Cancer Therapy
- Already FDA approved
- Is orally bioavailable
- Potentially treats a broad range of cancers
Intellectual Property:
A U.S. Utility patent application Serial 15,590,240 was filed on 5/09/17 and granted on 9/4/2018.
Development Stage:
The invention has been reduced to practice in pre-clinical trials. Clinical studies in cancer patients are currently being planned.
Publications:
http://www.biochemj.org/content/474/20/3391
Researchers:
Vandivel Ganapathy, Ph. D., Professor and Chairman, Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas.
Yangzom Bhutia, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor, Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas.
Babu Ellappan, Research Instructor, Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas.
Sabarish Ramachandran, Research Instructor, Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas.
Keywords: carbidopa, glutamine, anti-tumor immunity and immunotherapy