Advantages
- New drug candidate for canine melanoma based on molecular mechanism.
- Sulfasalazine has been used for human RA therapy against different target with different formulation to this technology.
- There is no treatment methods for canine melanoma.
Background and Technology
Canine melanoma is highly malignant, invasive and metastatic, and there is no effective treatment method because of resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Here, we found overexpression of xCT (cystine/glutamate transporter) in canine melanoma involved in scavenging of ROS which cause the resistance. We further demonstrated that an xCT inhibitor, sulfasalazine, improved the chemotherapy and radiotherapy-resistance.
Sulfasalazine was first synthesized by combining sulfapyridine, an antibiotic, with 5-aminosalicylic acid, an anti-inflammatory agent, linked by an azo bridge in 1950s. It is commonly used to treat human chronic inflammatory diseases and rheumatoid arthritis.
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Data
Reference: Nagane M and Kanai E et al, Sulfasalazine, an inhibitor of the cystine-glutamate antiporter, reduces DNA damage repair and enhances radiosensitivity in murine B16F10 melanoma, PLOS One, 2018
Patent
Pending, unpublished.
Researcher
Dr. Masaaki Nagane (School of Veterinary Medicine, Azabu University)
Expectations
We are looking for a veterinary pharmaceutical company who will further develop and commercialize this technology with us based on a technology licensing or collaboration research.
Product No:BK-02865