Lorus Therapeutics Inc announced that the Canadian Patent Office has allowed a patent which protects the company's intellectual property as it relates to the discovery and use of potential antitumor oligonucleotide molecules that target the stability of messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules that code for proteins involved in essential cellular functions.

Two of the genes targeted by this technology, which the company termed "U-sense technology," code for the components of ribonucleotide reductase, a complex which is crucial for the synthesis of DNA and the proliferation of cells, including tumor cells. Since the over-expression of ribonucleotide reductase is important in mechanisms of cancer transformation and disease progression, reducing gene expression through the application of U-Sense molecules has the potential to produce an important new class of anticancer drugs.

"The discovery of this novel approach to designing and developing a potentially new class of anticancer agents, which we believe work through a unique mechanism of action, is evidence of Lorus' strong commitment to discovering new and innovative treatments for devastating diseases like cancer," said Dr. Jim Wright, chief executive officer, Lorus.