Published April 30, 2018
University of Louisiana Monroe professor Dr. Girish Shah has received a U.S. Patent
for his discoveries which could significantly impact how certain cancers are treated.
Shah holds the Mary E. and Darrell L. Calhoun Endowed Chair and is professor of pharmacology
in the School of Pharmacy.
Shah discovered the mechanism by which malignant cells escape their organ of origin
to spread in other organs, and based on this discovery created compounds which affect
the “dissemination of malignant cells … and inhibit cell invasion,” according to the
patent. He developed methods focused on preventing metastasis (the spreading of cancer
cells from the primary location to other parts of the body).
“Cancer becomes lethal only when it metastasizes to other organs. Our discovery will
help control lethality of this disease by attenuating metastatic process, and provide
a new option for treating this deadly disease,” said Shah.
The patent was awarded March 30, and is titled “Inhibitor of metastasis, methods of
generating such inhibitors and their therapeutic applications.” Cancers referred to
in the patent include prostate carcinoma, bladder carcinoma, esophagus cancer, squamous
cell carcinoma, adenocarcinomas of lung, ovarian adenocarcinoma, pancreatic carcinoma,
and rectal carcinoma.
“Dr. Shah’s work is very exciting and has great potential to help make improvements
in health care. Awarding of this patent recognizes the uniqueness of his work and
helps protect his discoveries,” said Dr. Eric Pani, ULM Vice President for Academic
Affairs. “We look forward to his continued research and to bringing this and more
of his inventions to commercial markets.”
Shah’s research was funded through a grant from the National Institutes of Health.
