Altamira Therapeutics Ltd. (Nasdaq:CYTO), a company developing RNA-based therapeutics that address important unmet medical needs, today announced that it has filed a provisional patent application with the United States Patent and Trade Office (USPTO) to provide broad coverage of different KRAS mutations in human cancer treatment with nanoparticles comprising the Company’s OligoPhore™ platform and a single siRNA sequence.

The provisional patent describes novel nanoparticle compositions based on OligoPhore, Altamira’s peptide-based oligonucleotide delivery platform or derivatives thereof, in combination with one siRNA (small interfering ribonucleic acid) sequence designed to silence KRAS. In contrast to small molecule inhibitors, that are designed to inhibit KRAS harboring one specific mutation, Altamira’s approach, polyKRASmut, is polyvalent as it allows for silencing KRAS carrying any of the most abundant mutations described for this oncogene. The new filing is intended to expand Altamira’s intellectual property related to its AM-401 development program for the treatment of KRAS-driven cancers.

The KRAS gene encodes the RAS protein which controls - like an “on / off switch” – cell growth, maturation, migration, and death. Through mutations, the RAS proteins can be rendered persistently active, causing cancer cells to proliferate and spread in the body. Mutations of KRAS are associated with poor prognosis in several cancers, and there is a substantial body of evidence supporting the role of KRAS in the initiation and maintenance of cancer.

Source: https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2023/02/27/2616140/0/en/Altamira-Therapeutics-Files-Provisional-Patent-Application-for-OligoPhore-Nanoparticles-Targeting-Different-KRAS-Mutations-in-Cancer-Treatment.html