The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted patent to Laurantis Pharma Oy (Laurantis) for the use of cis-urocanic acid (cis-UCA), an endogenous small-molecule component of human and animal skin with known anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activity, for the treatment of bladder cancer.

In pre-clinical studies, cis-UCA was found to enhance several cellular processes known to expedite cell death in bladder cancer cells and to retard tumour invasion in the bladder. Laurantis researchers have moved the product into its first human clinical trial, which is currently recruiting patients in Finland.

Laurantis currently has three proprietary cis-UCA based products in clinical development. The Company’s lead product, cis-UCA emulsion cream for the treatment of atopic dermatitis, is currently in the final stages of phase 2 clinical development. Previously, the Company announced completion of a successful phase I clinical study with its cis-UCA eye drops. For bladder cancer, the product is delivered in a sterile, intravesical solution.

Laurantis Pharma’s anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer products are based on the use of cis-UCA to modulate intracellular pH in the target cells. Cis-UCA, an endogenous amino acid derivative, is a locally acting anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer agent that modulates the cytosolic pH under mildly acidic extracellular conditions. By acting as a proton transporter, it increases the proton concentration (i.e., decreases the pH) inside the cells. This protodynamic modulation of intracellular pH is a potent mechanism to alter cellular behavior, with important implications for inflammatory conditions and cancer.

Cis-UCA targets two major biochemical events that are critical to inflammation: blocking the production of reactive oxygen radicals and inhibiting the release of proinflammatory cytokines.

In cancer, cis-UCA induces a long-lasting cytosolic acidification, activating cell death. In addition, the differential extracellular pH in tumors compared to normal tissues offers the unique possibility for tumour-specific therapeutic strategies. The action of cis-UCA is independent of enzymes and cell receptors, and is therefore not affected by known mechanisms of drug resistance. Additionally, cis-UCA is not metabolized by the body.

Laurantis is a privately held clinical-stage biotechnology company with a broad portfolio of first-in-class products based on two proprietary technologies.