NextGen Bioscience

NextGen proprietary Intellectual Property
NextGen has filed two patent applications:

In addition to these two proprietary applications in the name of NextGen, the company is currently evaluating further targets for acquisition

NextGen’s pipeline includes the following patented product candidates and technologies:

All of NextGen’s candidates are available for partnering, either on a collaborative or licensing basis. For further details, see Partnering

Tetanolic acid: novel lipid molecule for breast cancer
Tetanolic acid is a form of a lipid known as alpha hydroxyoleic acid, a form of which is found as a main component of olive oil. Alpha hydroxyoleic acids are known to be able to interact with the cell membrane to control its composition or structure, which affects the receptors on the membrane. This control affects the growth and proliferation of cells and since cancer is characterised as a normal proliferation of cells, these lipids can potentially prevent cancer spread (Ohba et al., 2007 Int. J. Cancer 121 (1)).

Such analogues of oleic acid have been shown to be able to prevent the growth and spread of cancers, including breast cancer, in mice and therefore NextGen's Tetanolic acid is a candidate for development of an anti-cancer medicament in humans.

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality among women worldwide. In 2006, more than 447,000 cases of the disease are expected to be diagnosed in the seven major pharmaceutical markets. High unmet needs still persist for this tumor type. Despite recent drug approvals in the adjuvant and metastatic setting, the overall survival remains below five years. Like many cancer indications, treatment has until recently been dominated by chemotherapeutic regimes, which have significant side-effects. However, with the emergence of new, non cytotoxic therapies, the breast cancer therapeutics market is expected to show sustained growth and opportunity for new market participants as greater efficacy and reduced toxicity of innovative breast cancer therapies increase their uptake. Backed by these forecasts, the breast cancer therapeutics market is anticipated to grow from its current size of US$5.9 Billion (€5 million) to $11.5 Billion by 2011, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.8 per cent (Frost & Sullivan).

Prostaganin: peptide for prostate cancer
Importantly, such peptides are known to be able to demonstrate complete inhibition of growth of prostate tumor xenografts and can markedly reduce the secretion of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a biomarker widely known to be indicative of this malignancy. NextGen's Prostaganin is therefore a candidate for development of an anti-cancer medicament in humans.

Prostate cancer represents the most commonly diagnosed non-cutaneous cancer in ageing males and is the second leading casue of death in North American men. The anti-androgen and LHRH analog drug classes currently dominate the market, but with the development of a number of innovative therapies entering the market for the first time, the prostate cancer market is about to enter a more dynamic and high growth phase. The market for prostate cancer therapies presently stands at US$1.5 billion (Drugresearcher.com), but is set to experience double digit growth as newer an more innovative therapies come onto the market.

Method of inducing breast cancer stem cell death
NextGen’s proprietary stem cell technology constitutes a method to identify specific biomarkers for breast cancer cells and methods to destroy these malignancies. A cancer stem cell is a type of stem cell which could differentiate into tumours. It is believed that such cells exist within tumours as a distinct population, which can often be resistant to standard therapies. Their persistence therefore allows the cancer to recur when the rest of the cancer has been ablated.

NextGen’s strategy is to target therapies against the cancer stem cells themselves, to prevent recurrence at a later stage. Recent data showed that certain cytokine proteins, such as lnterleukin-4 and lnterleukin-10, actively protect tumour cells from death by exposure to conventional drugs (Stassi et al 2003). NextGen’s technology relates to the identification of cancer stem cells in solid tumours through the use of specific antibodies to target and neutralize the cytokines responsible for protecting the tumours.

Potential acquisition products
NextGen is also evaluating up to four additional product candidates for acquisition. These biological products are targeted towards the treatment of cancer and infectious disease indications which represent significant unmet needs and significant ‘blockbuster’ markets. Further announcements will be made when possible.