Title:HMGA and Cancer: A Review on Patent Literatures
Volume: 14
Issue: 3
Author(s): Marco De Martino, Alfredo Fusco and Francesco Esposito*
Affiliation:
- Istituto 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
Keywords:
Anti-cancer therapies, antisense RNA, cancer, cancer stem cells, HMGA, HMGA1, HMGA1 inhibitors, HMGA2.
Abstract:
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.