Polaris is collaborating with the Cleveland Clinic to determine the prevalence of argininosuccinate synthetase (ASS) deficiency in various tumor types. ASS is one of two enzymes required to convert citrulline to arginine. Patients with tumor types identified as ASS-deficient should be the most likely to respond to arginine deprivation therapy.
The Cleveland Clinic, a non-profit academic medical center, integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. It has a mission of pursuing both basic science and clinical research.
Argininosuccinate synthetase is one of the enzymes comprising the urea cycle. It catalyzes the union of citrulline and aspartate to form argininosuccinate, the first of two steps that allows cells to synthesize arginine from citrulline. Studies have shown that some human tumor cell lines are deficient in ASS, making them auxotrophic for arginine and consequently susceptible to arginine deprivation therapy.
The Cleveland Clinic is using immunohistochemistry to identify additional tumor types that may be auxotrophic for arginine. Patients diagnosed with these tumor types may benefit from treatment with ADI-PEG 20.
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