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Recent patents on live bacteria and their products as potential anticancer agents

Arsenio M Fialho1, Nuno Bernardes, Ananda M Chakrabarty

  • 1Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Illinois College of Medicine, 835 South Wolcott Avenue, Chicago, IL 60612, USA. afialho@ist.utl.pt

Recent Patents on Anti-Cancer Drug Discovery
|September 13, 2011
PubMed

Insights

This review covers patents since 2007 on using live or attenuated bacteria and microbial products as anticancer agents. It summarizes key findings from published and issued patents on these novel cancer therapies.

Area of Science:

  • Biotechnology and Microbiology
  • Cancer Research and Therapeutics
  • Intellectual Property in Medicine

Background:

  • The use of microbial agents in medicine has a long history.
  • Recent advancements have renewed interest in bacteria and their products for therapeutic applications.
  • Cancer remains a significant global health challenge, driving the search for novel treatment strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To comprehensively review patents published or issued since 2007.
  • To cover live or attenuated bacteria as potential anticancer agents.
  • To summarize microbial products, including toxins, enzymes, antibiotics, proteins, peptides, and small molecules, patented for anticancer use.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic literature search of patent databases.
  • Analysis of patent filings related to microbial anticancer agents.
  • Categorization of patents based on the type of microbial product or bacterial strain.
  • Summary of the main contents and claims within selected patents.

Main Results:

  • A significant number of patents have been issued/published since 2007.
  • Patents cover diverse microbial entities, including whole bacteria and various secreted or intracellular products.
  • The reviewed patents highlight a growing interest in microbial-based cancer therapies.
  • Specific examples of patented bacterial strains and microbial products are detailed.

Conclusions:

  • Patents demonstrate substantial innovation in microbial-based anticancer therapies.
  • Live/attenuated bacteria and microbial products represent a promising area for future cancer drug development.
  • Further research and clinical translation are warranted based on patent trends.

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