Patent Application
20150122733
In the United States cancer is the second leading cause of death. Cancer has surpassed heart disease is the number one cause of death in patients younger than 85 years of age. In the United States each year 1.3 million cases of cancer are diagnosed and more than 570,000 people die each year from cancer. The highest mortality rates involving lung, colorectal, breast and prostate cancers. More people presently die from cancer in the United States each year than were killed in a all of the wars in which the United States participated during the twentieth century. The average age at the time of diagnosis for cancer is 67 years, and about three quarters of all cancers are diagnosed after the age of 55. Further, cancer is the second leading cause of death in children up to the age of fourteen. In children leukemia is the most common cause of death from cancer. There are over 8 million Americans alive today who have had some form of cancer. Approximately one in three Americans will develop some form of cancer within their lifetime.
The spreading of cancer within a body by metastasis appears to be facilitated by the formation of new blood vessels supplying the cancer cells with nutrients. Angiogenesis is the physiological process of the growth of new blood vessels from pre-existing vessels. These new blood vessels supply nutrients to the cancer cells and facilitate growth of malignant tumors and the spread of cancer cells to other parts of the body.
Certain molecular organic compounds are implicated as causing or allowing angiogenesis which in turn allows the metastasis of various cancer cells and growth of cancerous tumors.
In general terms, the present invention relates to the treatment of cancers, hereinafter abbreviated as “CA”. Specifically, the invention pertains to a method for the extracorporeal treatment of one or more Body Fluids in two stages characterized by removing a Body Fluid from a living body diseased with a type of CA, passing the Body Fluid through a first stage; applying an anti-angiogenesis, anti-tumorigenesis, anti-metastasis, or chemotherapeutic treatment to at least one antigen in the Body Fluid.
More specifically, the treatment comprises creating an antibody-antigen moiety during passage thereof through said first stage; passing the treated Body Fluid through a second stage; removing antibody-antigen moiety from the Body Fluid during passage through the second stage, and returning the purified Body Fluid to the body.
The invention is further characterized by targeting an antigen in the Body Fluid, with an antibody to allow and facilitate removal thereof in the second stage. The targeted antigens would include one, or a combination of:
Specifically, the method is further characterized by removing Body Fluid from a person to produce the extracorporeal bodily fluid; imposing a treatment acting on an antigen of CA in the Body Fluid, filtering or otherwise removing the treatment from the Body Fluid, and returning the Body Fluid to the patient after removing substantially all of the treatment in the second stage.
The method of the present invention comprises treating at least one component of a patient's Body Fluid extracorporeally with a designer antibody containing an albumin-moiety which will create an albumin-antibody-CA antigen moiety allowing for the efficacious dialysis of the resultant albumin-antibody-CA antigen compound (the targeted CA antigen being respectively, one or a combination of antigen(s) from: CA Ant. Ang., CA Ant. T., CA Ant. ST, CA Ant. Sp., CA Ant. Chem.).
More specifically, the method is characterized by removing Body Fluid from a person to produce the extracorporeal bodily fluid; directing a first antibody against the targeted CA antigen (CA Ant. Ang., CA Ant. T., CA Ant. ST, CA Ant. Sp., CA Ant. Chem.) in the first stage of extra-corporeal treatment in the Body Fluid; in the second stage directing a second antibody conjugated with albumin and/or a protein against the targeted CA antigen thereby forming an albumin-antibody-CA antigen compound; removing at least a substantial portion of the albumin-antibody-CA antigen compound from the Body Fluid by dialysis, other filtering, or other means; and returning the Body Fluid to the patient.
Also, the method is characterized by testing the blood and/or CSF to determine the efficacy of treatment before returning the Body Fluid to the patient.
In the first stage of treatment, a selected Body Fluid is removed using a standard catheter and/or lumbar puncture. In the second stage, the Body Fluid is treated with antibodies against the targeted CA antigen (CA Ant. Ang., CA Ant. T., CA Ant. ST, CA Ant. Sp., CA Ant. Chem.).
The method of the present invention comprises treating at least one component of a patient's Body Fluid extracorporeally with a designer antibody containing an albumin-moiety to create an albumin-antibody-CA antigen moiety allowing for the efficacious dialysis, filtering or other means of removal of the resultant albumin-antibody-CA antigen compound (the targeted CA antigen being respectively, one or a combination of antigen(s) from: CA Ant. Ang., CA Ant. T., CA Ant. ST, CA Ant. Sp., CA Ant. Chem.).
The albumin-antibody will be directed towards facilitating removal of the targeted CA antigen(s): CA Ant. Ang., CA Ant. T., CA Ant. ST, CA Ant. Sp., CA Ant. Chem. After the removal of the CA antigen(s), the cleansed Body Fluid will be returned to the patient. The frequency of treatment, and the specifically targeted CA antigen(s) to be removed would depend upon the underlying symptomatology and pathology of the patient, and would be determined by the patient's physician. The article used in performing the method includes two-stages. The first stage includes a treatment chamber for addition of an antibody with an attached albumin moiety, which is added to the Body Fluid. A second stage receives the treated blood and/or CSF and includes a unit for removing the treatment.
The method includes providing a dialysis or other filtering machine with the a first stage and a second stage, and sequentially passing the extracorporeal Body Fluid through the first and second stages. The Body Fluid is removed from the patient using standard procedure. The first stage applies a treatment using an antibody which was has attached to it an albumin moiety (or alternatively, a moiety which allows for the efficacious dialysis or removal by other techniques of the antibody-albumin-CA antigen), for the treatment of the Body Fluid. The second stage substantially removes the treatment. The purified Body Fluid (Body Fluid with removed targeted CA antigen: CA Ant. Ang., CA Ant. T., CA Ant. ST, CA Ant. Sp., CA Ant. Chem.—is then tested for the efficacy of removal of the CA antigen and returned to the patient.
The device of the invention includes a first stage and a second stage. The first stage applies a treatment of an antibody with an attached albumin moiety targeting the CA antigen(s) specifically exacerbating the pathologic condition. The second stage includes substantial removal of the treatment from the extracorporeal Body Fluid bodily fluid. As shown in
With reference to
The second stage can include a filter, such as a dialysis machine, which is known to one skilled in the art. The second stage can include a molecular filter. For example, molecular adsorbents recirculating system (MARS), which may be compatible and/or synergistic with dialysis equipment. MARS technology can be used to remove small to average sized molecules from the Body Fluid. Artificial liver filtration presently uses this technique.
The method can include a plurality of steps for removing the targeted CA antigen(s). A first step can include directing a first antibody against the targeted antigen. A second step can include a second antibody. The second antibody can be conjugated with albumin, or alternatively another moiety which allows for efficacious dialysis or filtering of the antibody-CA antigen from the Body Fluid. The second antibody or antibody-albumen complex combines with the first antibody forming an antibody-antibody-moiety complex. A third step is then used to remove the complex from the blood and/or CSF. This removal is enabled by using dialysis and/or MARS. The purified Body Fluid is then returned to the patient.
In practice, a portion of the purified Body Fluid can be tested to ensure a sufficient portion of the targeted CA antigen(s) have been successfully removed from the Body Fluid. Testing can determine the length of treatment and evaluate the efficacy of the sequential dialysis methodology in removing the targeted CA antigen(s) and suggest the need for further treatment. Body Fluid with an unacceptably large concentrations of complex remaining can then be retreated and refiltered before returning the Body Fluid to the patient.
In embodiments, the second stage to remove the antibody-moiety-targeted CA antigen complex from the Body Fluid can be accomplished by various techniques including, for example, dialysis, filtering based on molecular size, protein binding, solubility, chemical reactivity, and combinations thereof. For example, a filter can include a molecular sieve, such as zeolite, or porous membranes that capture complexes comprising molecules above a certain size. Membranes can comprise polyacrylonitrile, polysulfone, polyamides, cellulose, cellulose acetate, polyacrylates, polymethylmethacrylates, and combinations thereof. Increasing the flow rate or diasylate flow rate can increase the rate of removal of the antibody with attached albumin moiety targeting the CA antigen(s) such as CA Ant. Ang., CA Ant. T., CA Ant. ST, CA Ant. Sp., CA Ant. Chem.
Further techniques can include continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) which can remove large quantities of filterable molecules from the extracorporeal Body Fluid. CRRT would be particularly useful for molecular compounds that are not strongly bound to plasma proteins. Categories of CRRT include continuous arteriovenous hemofiltration, continuous venovenous hemofiltration, continuous arteriovenous hemodiafiltration, slow continuous filtration, continuous arteriovenous high-flux hemodialysis, and continuous venovenous high flux hemodialysis. The sieving coefficient (SC) is the ratio of the molecular concentration in the filtrate to the incoming CSF. A SC close to zero implies that the moiety-antibody-targeted antigen complex will not pass through the filter. A filtration rate of 50 ml per minute is generally satisfactory. Other methods of increasing the removability of the antibody-targeted antigen moiety include the use of temporary acidification of the Body Fluid extracorporeally using organic acids to compete with protein binding sites.
Numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the following claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described. While this invention has been described with respect to certain preferred embodiments, different variations, modifications, and additions to the invention will become evident to persons of ordinary skill in the art. All such modifications, variations, and additions are intended to be encompassed within the scope of this patent, which is limited only by the claims appended hereto.
All documents, books, manuals, papers, patents, published patent applications, guides, abstracts and other references cited herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with the true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims.
This application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Patent Application No. 61/650,316, filed May 22, 2012, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2013/041923 | 5/21/2013 | WO | 00 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61650316 | May 2012 | US |
