New Cancer-Fighting Patent Issued to Wynnewood's Lankenau Institute

WYNNEWOOD, PA — A new patent that outlines methods for the treatment of Barrett’s esophagus by orally administered zinc was awarded by the U.S. Patent Office to James Mullin, PhD, professor at Main Line Health’s Lankenau Institute for Medical Research (LIMR), according to a press release.

Patients with Barrett’s esophagus, described as a "precancerous esophageal condition caused by long-term gastrointestinal reflux disease" by the Institute, have a significantly higher risk of developing cancer of the esophagus than the general population.

Moreover, esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) has one of the most rapidly increasing cancer incidences in the United States. If EAC is not caught early, it has one of the lowest five-year survival rates of any cancer: less than 10 percent. Finding a way to effectively treat Barrett’s and stop its progression to EAC is paramount among those in the gastroenterology community. Currently, no cancer-preventive options exist for this condition, the release states.

In recent years, researchers have shown in preclinical studies that a deficiency of the common mineral zinc can promote the development of esophageal cancer, and that proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) — prescription medicines that have almost universal use among Barrett’s patients — can block the uptake of zinc into the bloodstream. Thus, the medications meant to relieve the symptoms of Barrett’s esophagus are, in turn, reducing a nutritional mineral that patients need to stave off progression of their disease to cancer, according to the Institute.

“Given that all Barrett’s patients take PPI drugs for their reflux symptoms, and that PPIs block zinc absorption into the bloodstream, the only meaningful zinc entry into Barrett’s cells would be topical delivery of the mineral to the Barrett’s tissue, which is achieved by our formulation,” said Dr. Mullin in a statement. “Our lab showed that our formulation of orally administered zinc was accessible to Barrett’s cells and capable of causing molecular changes in them. Zinc is truly acting as a drug here.”

Mullin’s new patent, entitled “Compositions and Methods for the Prevention of Esophageal Cancer,” is for methods that comprise administering zinc to a patient’s esophagus either orally, topically or by implantable medical device, the press release states.

The patent also covers zinc combinations with other drugs that could provide even better cancer protection. LIMR has entered into negotiations with an outside company for the commercialization and marketing of a zinc-based, over-the-counter product for prophylactic treatment of Barrett’s, according to Lankenau.

“Zinc is an inexpensive, readily available and safe supplement that many people take for nutritional enhancement,” said Mullin. “By determining the best way to apply zinc directly to the esophageal tissue, and demonstrating cancer preventive changes in the precancerous cells, we believe we may be able to help Barrett’s patients avoid the onset of cancerous lesions of the esophagus.”