MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Humanetics Corporation (Humanetics) received a patent for mitigating erectile dysfunction (ED) as an adverse side effect of radiation therapy for prostate cancer using their proprietary radioprotectant compound, BIO 300. Dr. Zeljko Vujaskovic, MD, professor of radiation oncology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UM SOM) and director of the school’s Division of Translational Radiation Sciences (DTRS); and Dr. Isabel L. Jackson, PhD, assistant professor in the UM SOM Department of Radiation Oncology and deputy director of DTRS, are co-inventors.
Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer affecting men in the U.S. Per the National Cancer Institute, nearly 181,000 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer in the U.S. in 2016, representing approximately 20% of all new cancers in men. While survival rates are high, radiation-induced ED occurs in up to fifty percent of all cases. There are no approved drugs to mitigate radiation-induced ED.
Preclinical studies completed in collaboration with the University of Maryland demonstrated that BIO 300 can both mitigate radiation-induced ED and improve the effectiveness of radiotherapy to kill the tumors. "Radiation-induced ED remains a devastating consequence of prostate cancer therapy and influences treatment-related decisions for these patients," said Dr. Vujaskovic. “These findings support the advancement of this novel drug into a human efficacy study.”
BIO 300 is expected to be in a clinical study involving prostate cancer patients in 2017.
About Humanetics Corporation
Humanetics is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company engaged in developing and commercializing products to enhance human health and wellbeing in markets with urgent and unmet needs with a focus on radiation modulators for oncology, medical imaging and medical countermeasure uses. www.humaneticscorp.com.
About the University of Maryland School of Medicine
The University of Maryland School of Medicine is the first public medical school in the United States and is a leader in accelerating innovation and discovery in medicine. The School of Medicine is the founding school of the University of Maryland and works closely with the University of Maryland Medical Center and Medical System to provide a research-intensive, academic and clinically-based education. www.medschool.umaryland.edu/
