mi-APO - An apoptosis inducing enzyme

Product class	Protein (serin protease)
Target	Hsp70-expressing tumor cells/metastases
Indications	Various cancers
Technology	Tumor-specific induction of apoptosis
Status	Proof of Principle was shown in various tumor cell lines

Product Description

mi-APO is a targeted protein product with potential to be used for the treatment of most tumor types. The product targets surface-bound heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70). Surface-bound Hsp70 is a tumor-specific marker expressed on about 50-75% of various cancer entities, e.g. lung, colon, breast, pancreas. Application of mi-APO, a recombinant serine protease, results in a specific perforin-independent induction of apoptosis in Hsp70-positive tumors and metastases, sparing healthy cells.

Indication

All tumors and metastases on which surface-bound Hsp70 is present.

Market

According to Datamonitor (2007), therapeutic proteins will represent the second largest molecule type segment, accounting for more than 13% or $64 billion of total drug sales in 2012. In principal, mi-APO could be used to treat a wide range of cancers and could therefore command a substantial market.

Status

Proof of principle has been demonstrated in tumor cell lines of various Hsp70 expressing tumor entities, i.e. colon, pancreas, leukaemia.