Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 19, 2026

Analysis of Cancer Cell Invasion and Anti-metastatic Drug Screening Using Hydrogel Micro-chamber Array HMCA-based Plates
Published on: October 25, 2018
HMGA and Cancer: A Review on Patent Literatures
Marco De Martino1,2, Alfredo Fusco1, Francesco Esposito1
1Istituto di Endocrinologia e Oncologia Sperimentale-CNR c/o Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche, Universita degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II", via Pansini 5, Naples 80131, Italy.
Background:
The high mobility group A proteins modulate the transcription of numerous genes by interacting with transcription factors and/or altering the structure of chromatin. These proteins are involved in both benign and malignant neoplasias as a result of several pathways. A large amount of benign human mesenchymal tumors has rearrangements of HMGA genes. On the contrary, malignant tumors show unarranged HMGA overexpression that is frequently and causally related to neoplastic cell transformation. Here, we review the function of the HMGA proteins in human neoplastic disorders, the pathways by which they contribute to carcinogenesis and the new patents focused on targeting HMGA proteins.
Objective:
Current review was conducted to check the involvement of HMGA as a druggable target in cancer treatment.
Methods:
We reviewed the most recent patents focused on targeting HMGA in cancer treatment analyzing patent literature published during the last years, including the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO®), United States Patent Trademark Office (USPTO®), Espacenet®, and Google Patents.
Results:
HMGA proteins are intriguing targets for cancer therapy and are objects of different patents based on the use of DNA aptamers, inhibitors, oncolytic viruses, antisense molecules able to block their oncogenic functions.
Conclusion:
Powerful strategies able to selectively interfere with HMGA expression and function could represent a helpful approach in the development of new anti-cancer therapies.
Related Concept Videos
Mouse Models of Cancer Study
The development of transgenic, knockout, and knock-in mice has led to an exponential increase in their use as model organisms in research,...
Targeted Cancer Therapies
There are several types of targeted therapies against...
Cancer
Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...
Combination Therapies and Personalized Medicine
The combination of the drug acetazolamide and sulforaphane is a good example of combination therapy to treat cancer. The cells in the interior of a large tumor often die due to the hypoxic and...
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mTOR pathway or the...

