Method for determining tumor cell adhesion
AssigneeHadasit Medical Research Services and Development Ltd.
InventorRachel Bar-Shavit
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Abstract
The present invention concerns novel pharmaceutical compositions for the atment of cancer, either by inhibition of the tumor metastatic tendency or alternatively by inhibiting formation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) and thus depriving the tumor from its blood source. The active compound in the pharmaceutical compositions of the invention is a fragment of the Thrombin B-chain comprising the sequence Arg-Gly-Asp in an exposed orientation, or modified thrombin in which the naturally cryptic Arg-Gly-Asp sequence has been modified so that it is in an exposed orientation.
Claims3
A method for determining the ability of tumor cells to adhere to extracellular matrix, comprising:
- (a) incubating cells of the tumor, under conditions allowing cell adherence with a compound selected from the group consisting of:
- (i) a fragment of the thrombin B-chain that is active in inhibiting tumor cell adhesion to extracellular matrix comprising the sequence Arg-Gly-Asp in an exposed orientation;
- and
- (ii) a thrombin that was modified so that residues 187-189 (Arg-Gly-Asp) are in an exposed orientation and that is active in inhibiting tumor cell adhesion to extracellular matrix;
- and
- (b) determining the level of adherence of the cells to said compound, wherein if said cells adhere to said compound, it indicates the ability of the tumor cells to adhere to extracellular matrix.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.