Source: medicalxpress.com Author: staff The Ohio State University and the University of Michigan have signed an exclusive worldwide agreement with Ohio-based Venture Therapeutics, Inc, to form a new company to develop and commercialize a pharmaceutical technology targeted for the treatment of precancerous oral lesions. These lesions are currently managed by invasive surgery and approximately a third of these lesions will reoccur after surgery. Previously published data shows that about 30 percent of the higher grade precancerous oral lesions progress to oral cancer, specifically oral squamous cell carcinoma. This type of cancer is particularly devastating to patients because treatment entails removal of facial and mouth structures essential for esthetics and function. The National Cancer Institute estimates that 42,440 Americans will be diagnosed with oral cancer and over 8,390 oral cancer related deaths will occur in 2014. The pharmaceutical technology developed by researchers at The Ohio State University (OSU) College of Dentistry with secondary appointments at the OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) and the University of Michigan addresses a significant unmet need related to the prevention of oral cancer. Precancerous oral lesions can be seen and touched by patients, so this easy access to the lesion allows the use of local delivery formulations in an oral patch to directly treat the disease without causing adverse side effects. "This type of collaboration, involving multiple university partners with strong industry support, is increasingly essential to expedite the discovery, development and [...]