 |
| |
|
Corporate Overview |
| |
Formed in November 1996, BioCrystal Ltd. Brought together an interdisciplinary science group into a business structure committed to the development of novel products and procedures for applications in the life sciences and clinical medicine. Technology development has addressed three areas – cancer immunotherapy, fluorescence-based detection and analysis, and cell and tissue culture. BioCrystal has been awarded forty (40) U.S. patents across the three technology areas to date.
Invitrogen Corporation acquired the assets of BioCrystal’s semiconductor nanocrystal-based fluorescence detection business in the third quarter 2005 as the means to solidify its position as the market leader in labeling and detection technologies. In June 2007 Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. acquired all of the assets of BioCrystal’s cell culture products business (OptiCell®) as part of a strategy for expanded market development for next generation cell culture technology.
BioCrystal continues to expand collaborations for third party pre-clinical validation of portions of its cancer immunotherapy technology platform. |
| |
|
Immunomodulating Therapies for the Treatment of Cancer – BioCrystal
|
| |
 |
Current anticancer therapies basically target the destruction of tumor cells and marginally address the tumor concomitant systemic pathology. BioCrystal has discovered the means for controlling tumor biology, including systemic pathology that can be applied in cancer therapy to avoid tumor recurrence and metastasis. The company’s cancer immunotherapy program addresses these opportunities: |
|
| |
|
Immune Corrective Therapy.
|
| |
A first class of proprietary anticancer treatments is designed for use as an adjuvant therapy in conjunction with commonly recommended anticancer treatments (e.g., surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy or a combination thereof). Following tumor resection, this procedure is administered to control the “pro-tumor immune response,” thus suppressing tumor recurrence. |
|
| |
|
ICS™ – Immune Corrective Surgery.
|
| |
The surgical removal of primary tumor is intended to substantially remove all of the tumor tissue, but residual tumor cells can remain hidden in contiguous tissues or distant organs. In the presence of a normal immune response these cells are rejected and the cancer is cured. Unfortunately that does not always occur. Lymphoid tissue in the vicinity of the tumor may harbor cancer-promoting cells (B-lymphocytes) with the potential for triggering a pro-tumor immune response. ICS, employed following primary tumor resection, provides the means to locate and remove occult neoplastic (lymphoid) tissue, thus eliminating major deposits in the body capable of fostering cancer recurrence. Use of the coupled surgery/ICS treatment produces an important beneficial impact as shown in a limited clinical test involving colorectal cancer patients. (First Results for Resetting the Antitumor Immune Response by Immune Corrective Surgery in Colon Cancer. Barbera Guillem E. Arnold MW, Nelson MB, Martin EW Jr. American Journal of Surgery. 1998 Oct; 176: 339-343.) |
|
| |
|
A Diagnostic/Prognostic Outpatient Test
|
| |
B cells are a population of specialized cells in the immune system that normally function to eliminate disease-causing foreign substances. The overall population of B-lymphocytes is comprised of various subpopulations, defined by their maturity or the foreign substance that activates them. Each subpopulation can express a fingerprint or phenotype, which can be used to differentiate it from other B-lymphocyte subpopulations. BioCrystal has developed a proprietary diagnostic test for measuring this B-lymphocyte pathology. The test offers promise for use in several ways:
- An assessment of the existence and intensity of pro-tumor activity in newly diagnosed cancer patients;
- Use as a prognostic tool in monitoring the effectiveness of anti-cancer therapy;
- A general screening test for individuals at high risk for development, or at risk for recurrence, of adenocarcinomas.
|
|
|
|
|
Tumor Growth Inhibition by In Vivo Fas Ligand Antisense Gene Delivery
|
|
It has been demonstrated that Fas Ligand (FasL) expression causes a more aggressive phenotype in tumor cells. It has been proposed that the increase in malignancy is due to induction of T cell apoptosis by tumor cell-derived FasL. BioCrystal has developed the means to inhibit tumor growth in an individual by administering into and around a solid FasL negative tumor a composition in a therapeutically effective amount to effect the inhibition of tumor progression. More... |
| |
 |
