Ugandan scientist secures USA patent for cancer treatment

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has  granted and published a patent to Ugandan scientist Dr. Matthias Magoola for a novel cancer treatment using guided RNA.

Dr. Magoola is the Founder and Managing Director of Dei BioPharma, the pharmaceutical and biotech firm, currently developing a multi-billion vaccines and drugs manufacturing plant in Mattuga, near Kampala.

This invention, years in the making, represents a significant advancement in cancer therapy.

It utilises a novel composition of guided RNA attached to the Cas9 protein. This complex targets and disrupts mutated genes responsible for cancer, preventing their repair and ultimately killing the cancerous cells.

While the foundational CRISPR-Cas9 technology, which allows for precise gene editing, earned Professors Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Dr. Magoola's invention takes this technology a crucial step further.

Instead of allowing the cell to repair the disrupted gene, his method prevents this repair, leading to the targeted destruction of cancer cells.

Unlike existing FDA-approved gene editing products, Dr. Magoola says his invention is specifically designed to treat cancer by disrupting the mutated genes.

Critically, it targets only cancer cells, leaving healthy cells unharmed which  specificity offers the potential to treat all types of cancer, regardless of stage, and eliminates the debilitating side effects associated with traditional cancer treatments like chemotherapy, antibody therapy, and radiation.

Following the patent publication, Dr. Magoola has been requested to submit an approval plan to the US FDA in March 2025, paving the way for clinical trials to begin before the end of 2025.

"All details of the manufacturing of this product have been completed and are ready to go for testing," Dr. Magoola stated in an interview recently.

This ground-breaking treatment holds immense promise, and represents a USD 300 billion market.

Its simplicity will make it accessible globally, including in developing countries, at a minimal cost.

This is particularly significant considering the projected global cancer burden of 35 million cases annually by 2030.

Dr. Magoola emphasizes that this invention is a humanitarian contribution aimed at eradicating cancer worldwide.

This achievement follows another recent milestone for Dr. Magoola and Dei BioPharma. On January 7, 2025, the USPTO accepted their application for a patent on the world's first universal vaccine against Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD).