MultiCell Technologies Files U.S. and International Patent Applications for the Treatment of Liver Cancer

WOONSOCKET, R.I., March 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- MultiCell Technologies, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: MCET) has filed additional U.S. and international patent applications covering MCT-485 and its composition of matter, biological targets, mechanism of action, and methods and formulations for therapeutic use.

MCT-485 is a very small noncoding double stranded RNA (dsRNA) molecule which has demonstrated a unique cytotoxic, oncolytic, and immune stimulating activity in in vitro models of hepatocellular carcinoma.  MCT-485 is thought to target cancer by delivering a cytotoxic and oncolytic effect to only those cells having the highest tumor initiating capability that are part of the cancerous process such as cancer stem cells and tumor initiating cells.  MCT-485 appears to have no effect on cells not directly involved in the process of relapse, progression and metastasis of cancer.

MCT-485 has demonstrated in in vitro models the ability to kill transformed liver cancer cells while not harming normal, non-transformed liver cells.  "MCT-485 addresses the need to directly target liver cancer cells and not normal liver cells", said W. Gerald Newmin, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.   MCT-485 is currently being evaluated in animal models of hepatocellular carcinoma.  MultiCell also plans to study MCT-485 in relevant in vitro and animal models for other major cancers.

In contrast to other species of RNAs including siRNAs, MCT-485 appears to induce cancer cell death through a biological process called pyroptosis; a caspase 1-dependent self-destruction cell death that involves pro-inflammatory cytokine production.  Typically, pyroptosis is triggered by various pathological stimuli.  MCT-485 is thought to suppress or modify the amount of mRNA being expressed by various genes linked to the metabolism, proliferation and viability of cancer cells thereby inducing a state of cellular stress within the cancer cell.  MCT-485 appears to exert a preferential biological activity on transformed liver cancer cells while showing no effect on normal, non-transformed liver cells.

Treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common form of primary liver cancer, represents a major unmet medical need.   Hepatocellular carcinoma is a leading cause of cancer death worldwide, and is the fourth most common cancer in the world.  Over 1 million cases of hepatocellular carcinoma are reported annually worldwide.  Current approaches for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma are of limited efficacy.  According to the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI), only 16% of patients diagnosed with primary liver cancer survive longer than 5 years.  MCT-485, possessing oncolytic and immune activating properties, could be superior to currently marketed therapies by providing highly targeted killing of liver cancer cells coupled with a more robust activation of immunity and a global and longer lasting anti-tumor effect.  Additionally, due to its unique mechanism of action, MCT-485 could also prove effective in killing other types of cancers. 

About MCT-485

MultiCell Technologies' MCT-485 is a very small noncoding double stranded RNA (dsRNA) possessing a unique mechanism of action, and is the first of a family of prospective cancer therapeutics.  MultiCell owns rights to several issued U.S. and foreign patents and patent applications related to MCT-485.

About MultiCell Technologies, Inc.

MultiCell Technologies, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics and discovery tools for the treatment of primary multiple sclerosis-related fatigue and cancer.  For more information about MultiCell Technologies, please visit http://www.multicelltech.com.

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Any statements in this press release about MultiCell's expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not historical facts and are forward-looking statements for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the "Act").  These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as "believe", "will", "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "intend", "plan", "forecast", "could", and "would". MultiCell bases these forward- looking statements on current expectations about future events.  They involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions that may cause actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statement.  Some of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from estimates or projections in the forward-looking statement include, but are not limited to, the risk that we might not achieve our anticipated clinical development milestones, receive regulatory approval, or successfully commercialize our products as expected, the market for our products will not grow as expected, and the risk that our products will not achieve expectations.  For additional information about risks and uncertainties MultiCell faces, see documents that MultiCell files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including MultiCell's report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2012, and all of MultiCell's quarterly and other periodic SEC filings.  MultiCell claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements under the Act and assumes no obligation and expressly disclaims any duty to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this news release or to reflect the occurrence of subsequent events.

SOURCE MultiCell Technologies, Inc.