# US 2010/0168209 A1 · Apoptosis inducer for cancer cell

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- Number: US 2010/0168209 A1
- Document ID: US20100168209A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 12/643,938
- Filed: 2009-12-21
- Published: 2010-07-01
- Earliest claimed: 2003-05-19
- Assignees: Genecare Research Institute Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Motoki Takagi; Akira Shimamoto; Yasuhiro Furuichi; Ayumi Sato
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20100168209A1

## CPC

- A61K 31/713: Double-stranded nucleic acids or oligonucleotides
- A61K 38/52: Isomerases (5)
- A61P 35/00: Antineoplastic agents
- A61P 43/00: Drugs for specific purposes, not provided for in groups A61P1/00-A61P41/00
- C12N 15/1137: {against enzymes (viral enzymes C12N15/1131; receptors C12N15/1138)}
- G01N 33/5011: {for testing antineoplastic activity}
- C12N 2310/14: interfering nucleic acids [NA]
- G01N 2333/99: Isomerases (5.)
- G01N 2500/10: involving cells
- G01N 2510/00: Detection of programmed cell death, i.e. apoptosis
- A61K: PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES (devices or methods specially adapted for bringing pharmaceutical products into particular physical or administering forms A61J3/00; chemical aspects of, or use of materials for deodorisation of air, for disinfection or sterilisation, or for bandages, dressings, absorbent pads or surgical articles A61L; soap compositions C11D)
- A61P: SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OR MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS
- C12N: MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA (microbiological testing media C12Q1/00)
- G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q)

## Abstract

The present invention revealed that by suppressing the expression of the WRN gene, the BLM gene, or the RecQ1 gene, which belong to the RecQ helicase family, apoptosis is induced in various cancer cells and their proliferation is suppressed. Compounds that suppress the expression of RecQ helicase family genes or the functions of RecQ helicase proteins are thought to have the activity of inducing apoptosis.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for inducing apoptosis of cancer cells comprising a step of administering a compound that suppresses the expression of a gene belonging to the RecQ DNA helicase family into a subject, wherein the compound induces apoptosis in cancer cells but does not induce apoptosis in normal cells.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the compound that suppresses the expression of a gene belonging to the RecQ DNA helicase family is a double-stranded RNA having RNAi activity towards that RecQ DNA helicase family gene.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the gene belonging to the RecQ DNA helicase is the WRN gene, the BLM gene, or the RecQ1 gene.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The method according to claim 2, wherein the double-stranded RNA comprises a sense RNA comprising a sequence homologous to an arbitrary 20 to 30 consecutive nucleotides from the mRNA of a gene belonging to the RecQ helicase family, and an antisense RNA, comprising the sequence complementary to the sense RNA.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The method according to claim 2, wherein either strand of the double-stranded RNA with RNAi activity comprises the nucleotide sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOs: 1 to 5, 31 to 40, and 43 to 69.