Ru leading cancer cure routes?

Medical Marketing International (MMI) the Cambridge, UK-based technology management company focused on biotherapeutic technologies has been formally notified by the US Patent Office that the patent for its ruthenium anti-cancer therapy, being developed by MMI's wholly-owned cancer therapy subsidiary Oncosense, will be granted.

MMI announced on 28th October 2003 that it had received notification by the European Patent Office that the ruthenium patent would be granted in the European territories.

Earlier MMI announced that the Oncosense ruthenium compounds had the potential to be a whole new class of cancer therapy showing potency at least as good as the market-leading therapies carboplatin and cisplatin and with the potential for reduced toxicity, a novel mechanism of action and non-cross resistance. Additionally, data showed that the ruthenium compounds each have their own spectrum of activity, with individual compounds showing differential activity against individual cell lines including non-small cell lung cancer, breast cancer and melanoma.

Mark Burton, technology manager at MMI said: 'We are delighted to have received notification that the ruthenium patent will be granted in the world's biggest cancer therapy market. When added to the European patent notification this means that we will have protection in two of the world's largest markets. This news coupled with our technical progress with ruthenium considerably strengthens our commercial position in the global cancer therapy market which is worth $20bn.'