– Artemisinin –

USE OF ARTEMISININ IN THE TREATMENT
OF PAPILLOMA INFECTIONS,
CERVICAL DYSPLASIA, AND CERVICAL CANCER

OTL REFERENCE: SCRI422513

Georgetown University is seeking a licensee for "Use of Artemisinin in the Treatment of Papilloma Infections, Cervical Dysplasia, and Cervical Cancer", a general treatment for human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and their associated tumors. Importantly, artemisinin provides treatment regardless of the specific viral type or the site of infection. Although vaccines are currently being developed for HPV, there are literally hundreds of HPV strains with at least five types that induce cervical cancer. Artemisinin could serve as a new treatment for HPV infection and its related cancers.

APpLICATIONS & ADVANTAGES

• General treatment of cells infected with HPV, including cervical cancer cells, providing a significant advantage over current vaccines in development that target only a limited number of HPV strains.
• Used as an antimalarial agent, pharmacokinetics and other characteristics of artemisinin are well known, thus speeding its development into clinical trials.
• Can be used as a topical formulation.
• Inexpensive to produce with potential use in developing countries.

The Technology

Artemisinin is a widely used antimalarial agent extracted from the dry leaves of a Chinese herb. Here, we describe its use as a general treatment for HPV infection and their associated tumors. Importantly, although HPV vaccines are being developed, there are literally hundreds of HPV types, and current vaccines are only effective against a limited number of HPV strains. Thus, artemisinin could serve as an important new treatment against HPV infection. In vitro studies revealed artemisinin to be highly effective at rapidly killing cervical cancer cells infected by HPV, while being non-toxic to normal cervical cells. An independent laboratory has shown artemisinin to be effective against human oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Reference
Anticancer Res. 2004 Jul-Aug; 24(4): 2153-60.

Patent Status
US and Foreign Rights protected (WO 2004/071506).

Contact
Shoji Takahashi, M.D., Ph.D. (st293@georgetown.edu)

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