Chimeric complex with miR-214sponge and its therapeutic uses

The common therapies used for the treatment of tumors are often not sufficient to block its progression and, at the same time, are devastating for the body. Therefore, it is urgent to develop new-targeted therapies that can specifically target cancer cells, reducing unwanted side effects. We therefore propose a new therapeutic tool consisting of a chimeric complex characterized by a strong anti-metastatic activity and a significant selectivity.
The chimeric complex is composed by an anti-Axl RNA aptamer linked to a miR-214sponge (axl-miR-214sponge). Axl is an oncogenic tyrosine kinase receptor abundantly expressed on the surface of many tumor cells, especially if particularly malignant, but poorly present on normal cells. Instead, miR-214sponge is a short single chain DNA oligonucleotide sequence able to pair with a small non-coding, pro-metastatic RNA, called miR-214, overexpressed in many different tumors, to break down its expression levels and, therefore, to block its pro-metastatic function.
The Axl aptamer already actively contributes to inhibit metastasis formation per se, but when linked to miR-214sponge the effects are stronger.
The chimeric complex axl-miR-214sponge is, therefore, very important as a therapeutic tool specifically for solid tumors in which at the same time there is an overexpression of Axl and miR-
214. This chimeric complex acts only on cells expressing Axl, but not on the negative counterparts
for Axl.

• Targeted therapy
• Anti-tumor activity
• Anti-metastatic
• Lack of toxicity

Filing date: 31/08/2021

Application number: 102021000022610