New Jersey Patent of the Month – February 2023
The medical community is in a constant search for treatments that can help fight cancer. Neuroblastoma is a cancer that affects children and can be particularly difficult to treat, especially in high-risk cases. CorMedix Inc. has patented a new therapeutic method that uses taurolidine hydrolysis products to treat neuroblastoma.
Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid cancer in childhood, and the most common cancer in infancy. This type of cancer arises from any neural crest element of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), and while it is not a tumor of the central nervous system, it can be difficult to treat successfully. The current treatments available for high-risk neuroblastoma are generally intensive and include chemotherapy, surgery, radiation therapy, bone marrow/hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and biological-based therapy with 13-cis-retinoic acid (isotretinoin or Accutane) and antibody therapy.
Marketed as Defencath™, CorMedix’s investigational taurolidine drug product is derived from the natural amino acid, taurine. Taurolidine disrupts cell walls and destroys bacterial fimbriae – an important component for colonization. In addition to its potential in antimicrobial and antifungal applications, CorMedix has discovered it has surprising oncolytic activities. This surprise discovery led CorMedix to explore its potential as a treatment in neuroblastoma.
Their preclinical studies have suggested that the compound has a direct and selective antineoplastic effect on glial and neuronal brain tumor cells, significantly enhancing the activity of cytotoxic cancer drugs. This means there is potential for improving the efficacy of existing cancer treatments when combined with taurolidine.
CorMedix is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing therapeutic products for the prevention and treatment of infectious and inflammatory diseases. In 2016, CorMedix announced a collaboration with the Pediatric Oncology Therapeutic Investigators Consortium (POETIC) to evaluate a novel formulation of taurolidine (CMDX-001) as a part of an investigational therapy for rare pediatric cancers including neuroblastoma and osteosarcoma. CorMedix and POETIC are advancing this program through preclinical studies and will determine a potential clinical strategy once in vivo proof-of-concept is achieved.
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