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AUTHOR(S)Naijie Jing, Ph.D.
PERFORMING ORGANIZA TION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES)8
ABSTRACT (Maximum 200 Words)This annual report is composed of (1) introduction of the goal of this project and specific aims, (2) body of research accomplishments in PI's group from 4/1/04 to 3/31/05, (3) reportable outcomes, and (4) conclusion of researches from 4/1/04 to 3/31/05. The report demonstrated that during the period from 4/1/04 to 3/31/05, PI group made a significant progress in developing a novel and potent anti-cancer agent, which holds promise for the systemic treatment of prostate cancer. Our goal is to develop a novel, potent inhibitor of Stat3 as a therapeutic drug for prostate cancer therapy. In the year 2003, carcinoma of the prostate accounted for an estimated 220,900 new cancer cases and 28,900 deaths, including 30,200 deaths in the United States. Prostate cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers and the second leading cause of cancer death in American men. Current treatments for androgen-independent prostate cancer have not shown a definitive increase in survival. The treatment options employed for patients with advanced and metastatic prostate cancer are limited. Mounting evidence demonstrates that Stat3 is a critical mediator of oncogenic signaling (1-3) and is active in 82% of prostate cancers (4), 69% of breast cancers (5), 90% of head and neck cancers (HNSCC) (6), 71% of nasopharygeal carcinoma (7) as well as in many other cancers. However, drugs targeting Stat3 have not been used to treat prostate cancer. We propose a novel strategy to inhibit Stat3, which could be very useful in development of prostate cancer therapy, and have developed a G-quartet oligodeoxynucleotide (GQ-ODN), T40214, as a lead compound that preferentially inhibits the DNA-binding activity of Stat3 among STAT protein members such as Statl, resulting in the suppression of Stat3-regulated genes, bcl-x and Mcl-1, in cancer cells (8). We also have constructed a model of GQ-ODN binding onto Stat3 homodimer for rational drug design. The molecular model suggests that the GQ-ODN insert between the two SH2 domains of Stat3 dimer resulting in their destabilization. We further show that T40214 and its derivative T40231 have dramatic in vivo effects on prostate cancer growth in nude mice when given by intravenous or intraperitoneal injections, dramatically retarding tumor growth and significantly increase the length of survival time (Appendices 1...