Suppression of cancer metastasis

Abstract

Methods are provided for suppressing cancer metastasis. Cancer metastasis is the most common cause of treatment failure and death in cancer patients. Tumor cell invasion and/or migration can be significantly inhibited after fibrillar proteins (rVP1, F-HSA, and F-BSA) treatment in vitro. In addition, rVP1 can significantly suppress murine and human breast cancer metastasis and human prostate and ovarian cancer metastasis in vivo while F-HSA can significantly suppress murine breast cancer metastasis. Compositions of fibrillar proteins as anti-cancer metastasis therapeutics and methods of use thereof are provided herein.

1 - 41 . (canceled) 
     
     
         42 . A pharmaceutical composition for suppressing cancer metastasis in a subject comprising a fibrillar protein and a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient. 
     
     
         43 . The composition of  claim 42 , wherein said fibrillar protein comprises fibrillar albumin. 
     
     
         44 . The composition of  claim 42 , wherein said fibrillar protein comprises fibrillar human serum albumin. 
     
     
         45 . The composition of  claim 42 , wherein said fibrillar protein comprises capsid proteins of the foot-and-mouth-disease virus. 
     
     
         46 . A pharmaceutical composition comprising a therapeutically effective amount of fibrillar human serum albumin and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier for use in treating a mammal having cancer. 
     
     
         47 . The pharmaceutical composition of  claim 46 , wherein said cancer is characterized by overexpression of α5β1 and/or αvβ3 integrin. 
     
     
         48 . A method of manufacturing the composition according to  claim 44 , comprising the following steps:
 manufacturing fibrillar human serum albumin; and   mixing the fibrillar human serum albumin in a therapeutically effective amount with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.   
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 48 , wherein the step of manufacturing the fibrillar human serum albumin comprises the following steps:
 dissolving human serum albumin in a detergent solution;   applying the dissolved human serum albumin through a gel filtration column with a pore size to separate proteins of 70 kDa molecular weight and above; and   eluting the human serum albumin from the column.   
     
     
         50 . A method of treating cancer in a human patient comprising administering to said patient the composition of  claim 42 . 
     
     
         51 . A method of treating cancer comprising administering to a subject in need thereof an effective amount of a fibrillar protein and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, wherein said method reduces cancer metastasis in said subject. 
     
     
         52 . The method according to  claim 51 , wherein said fibrillar protein comprises fibrillar albumin. 
     
     
         53 . The method according to  claim 52 , wherein said fibrillar protein comprises fibrillar human serum albumin. 
     
     
         54 . The method according to  claim 51 , wherein said fibrillar protein comprises fibrillar capsid proteins of the foot-and-mouth-disease virus. 
     
     
         55 . The method of  claim 51 , wherein said fibrillar protein is a chimeric protein. 
     
     
         56 . The method of  claim 51 , wherein said subject is a human. 
     
     
         57 . The method of  claim 51 , wherein said cancer is characterized by overexpression of α5β1 and/or αvβ3 integrin. 
     
     
         58 . The method of  claim 51 , wherein said administering is selected from the group consisting of intravenous injection, subcutaneous injection, intraperitoneal injection, intraarterial injection, intramuscular injection, intralesional injection into the tumor, intralesional injection adjacent to the tumor, intravenous infusion, and intraarterial infusion. 
     
     
         59 . The method of  claim 51 , wherein said method further comprises administering a second therapeutic agent and/or providing radiation therapy to said subject. 
     
     
         60 . The method of  claim 59 , wherein said second therapeutic agent is a chemotherapeutic agent. 
     
     
         61 . The method of  claim 51 , wherein said fibrillar protein is produced by a method comprising the following steps:
 dissolving a protein in a detergent solution to provide a dissolved protein;   applying said dissolved protein through a gel filtration column with a pore size that can separate proteins of 70 kDa molecular weight and above;   eluting said dissolved protein from said gel filtration column to provide an eluate; and   removing said detergent from said eluate.