Treatment of tumors

Abstract

Where it was generally thought that the smallest breakdown products of proteins had no specific biological function on their own, it now emerges that the body may utilize the normal process of proteolytic breakdown to generate important compounds such as gene-regulatory or anti-tumor compounds. Such anti-tumor compounds are useful for the treatment or prevention of tumors and can be used as part of a pharmaceutical composition. The invention provides a pharmaceutical composition for the treatment of a subject suffering from or believed to be suffering from a tumor, said pharmaceutical composition comprising: a therapeutically effective amount of anti-tumor peptide or a functional analogue or derivative thereof together with a pharmaceutically acceptable diluent.

1 .- 8 . (canceled) 
     
     
         9 . A composition comprising:
 a therapeutically effective amount of an anti-tumor peptide, functional analogue of the anti-tumor peptide, derivative of the anti-tumor peptide, or acceptable salt of the anti-tumor peptide together with a pharmaceutically acceptable diluent,   wherein the therapeutically effective amount is an amount sufficient to impede or cease tumor growth in a subject to whom the composition is administered.   
     
     
         10 . The composition of  claim 9 , wherein the anti-tumor peptide is smaller than fifteen (15) amino acids. 
     
     
         11 . The composition of  claim 9 , wherein the peptide is selected from the group consisting of VVC, LAG, AQG, LQGV (SEQ ID NO:1), QVVC (SEQ ID NO:5), MTRV (SEQ ID NO:6), AQGV (SEQ ID NO:2), LAGV (SEQ ID NO:3), LQAV (SEQ ID NO:7), PGCP (SEQ ID NO:8), VGQL (SEQ ID NO:9), RVLQ (SEQ ID NO:10), EMFQ (SEQ ID NO:11), AVAL (SEQ ID NO:12), FVLS (SEQ ID NO:13), NMWD (SEQ ID NO:14), LCFL (SEQ ID NO:15), FSYA (SEQ ID NO:16), FWVD (SEQ ID NO:17), AFTV (SEQ ID NO:18), LGTL (SEQ ID NO:19), QLLG (SEQ ID NO:20), YAIT (SEQ ID NO:21), APSL (SEQ ID NO:22), ITTL (SEQ ID NO:23), QALG (SEQ ID NO:24), GVLC (SEQ ID NO:25), NLIN (SEQ ID NO:26), SPIE (SEQ ID NO:27), LNTI (SEQ ID NO:28), LHNL (SEQ ID NO:29), CPVQ (SEQ ID NO:30), EVVR (SEQ ID NO:31), MTEV (SEQ ID NO:32), EALE (SEQ ID NO:33), TLAVE (SEQ ID NO:38), VEGNL (SEQ ID NO:39), LNEAL (SEQ ID NO:40), VLPALP (SEQ ID NO:4), MGGTWA (SEQ ID NO:41), LTCDDP (SEQ ID NO:42), VLPALPQ (SEQ ID NO:43), VCNYRDV (SEQ ID NO:44), CPRGVNP (SEQ ID NO:45), QPLAPLVG (SEQ ID NO:46), DINGFLPAL (SEQ ID NO:47), and acceptable salts of any thereof. 
     
     
         12 . The composition of  claim 9 , wherein said anti-tumor peptide is smaller than seven (7) amino acids. 
     
     
         13 . The composition of  claim 12 , wherein said peptide is from two (2) to six (6) amino acids long. 
     
     
         14 . The composition of  claim 13 , wherein said peptide is three (3) or four (4) amino acids long. 
     
     
         15 . The composition of  claim 13 , wherein the anti-tumor peptide is a three (3) to six (6) amino acid long fragment of MTRVLQGVLPALPQVVC (SEQ ID NO:48). 
     
     
         16 . The composition of  claim 15 , wherein the anti-tumor peptide is LQG or LQGV (SEQ ID NO:1).