New Geron patent filed: Diagnostic markers for treating cell proliferative disorders with telomerase inhibitors

[Fishermangents]

USPTO Applicaton #: #20160177403
Application date: 06/23/16
Inventors: Ekaterina Bassett, Bart Burington, Hui Wang, Kevin Eng
Owner: Geron Corp.

This invention provides, inter alia, methods for identifying individuals suspected of having or that have been diagnosed with a cell proliferative disorder that will benefit from treatment with a telomerase inhibitor compound as well as methods for treating these individuals. Telomere length in cancer cells can vary from tumor to tumor. The inventors have observed that cancer cells with shorter telomere lengths are more responsive to treatment with telomerase inhibitor compounds (for example, Imetelstat) in comparison to cancer cells having longer telomere lengths. Accordingly, provided herein are methods for selecting an individual diagnosed with or suspected of having cancer that will benefit from treatment with a telomerase inhibitor. Also provided herein are methods for treating an individual diagnosed with or suspected of having cancer with a telomerase inhibitor, when the average relative telomere length in the cancer cells present in a biological sample from the individual is determined to be in the 50th percentile or less of a relative telomere length range determined from one or more known standards.

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So Geron has patented a test method to determine if patients with cancer (that means all cancers) will benefit from telomerase inhibition treatment (like imetelstat). People with short telomeres have a larger chance of success than those with longer telomeres. This test doesn't only mean income from the licensing of the test. It also means that the roll-out of imetelstat to other indication might go much faster, once imetelstat is approved. This IP isn't part of the JNJ agreement.

The second claim is about the treatment of patients. If this second claim will be granted it will protect Geron from patients being treated with other telomerase inhibitors based on short telomeres. Apart from the test itself, it seems that this patent is another step into protecting Geron from competitors in the field of telomerase inhibition.

It may well be that this patent is largely based on the data from the NSCLC trial. The report about this trial says:
"Imetelstat effectively inhibited telomerase resulting in shortening of telomeres in all cell lines tested regardless of any clinical or genetic characteristics. This supports inhibition of telomerase as a universal cancer therapy target in telomerase expressing tumors."
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"The mechanism of action of imetelstat dictates prolonged treatment is necessary to observe progressive telomere shortening with continued cell division and eventual senescence or cell death. This is accompanied by a lag phase with minimal phenotypic change other than decreased telomere length and suggests shorter telomeres would have faster response times."

There is more to this NSCLC trial than the eye could see...

Link to patent: http://www.freshpatents.com/-dt20160623 ... 177403.php
Link to NSCLC trial abstract (also on ImetelChat and imetelstat.info): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27192120