Biotech company Miami Mice battles cancer with genetically modified mice

Its name is a play on the title of the 1980s TV show Miami Vice and just like the characters in that series, Miami Mice Research Inc. is tracking down a killer - cancer.

The tiny, five-person organization based in the MaRS complex in downtown Toronto, Ontario is a biotechnology company that develops genetically modified mice, - called "mouse models" - to identify and develop early markers for lung cancer and leukemia.

"Mouse models that mimic human disease help researchers like us understand the causes and origins of cancer," explains Dr. Corrinne Lobe, a scientist, faculty member of the University of Toronto's Department of Medical Biophysics, and the founder and CEO of Miami Mice.

Mice commonly are used as human surrogates in cancer research. They are "designed" to have a greater susceptibility to certain cancers so that researchers can observe metabolic changes and tumour progression. Mouse model studies provide evidence for research that can lead to early detection of cancer, new cancer drugs, new combinations of treatments, or new treatment methods.

With cancer being the second leading cause of death from disease worldwide, the need for earlier diagnosis and better cancer treatments has never been greater. Mouse models are used for investigating mutations in human cells triggered by diet, ageing, drugs and the environment.

"Lung cancer is the most fatal form of cancer worldwide. That's partly due to our inability to diagnose the disease at an early stage," says Dr. Lobe. "The diagnostics Miami Mice is developing may offer a way to develop screening tools for groups at high risk for early-stage lung cancer."

Miami Mice concentrates on developing DNA vectors -- a DNA molecule that is used to transfer foreign genetic material into a cell -- and lung cancer diagnostics, including molecular genetis tools, which are used to explore the process of a gene in both its normal and cancerous states.

"The molecular genetis tools could help us to develop more accurate prognostic systems and better predictors of a patient's response to specific therapies," says Dr. Lobe. "Potentially, we could target those at high risk by matching their therapy to either the genetic profile of the patient or to their tumour."

Both tools make up the bulk of the company's export sales to meet the needs of researchers in the United States, Japan, and China.

"It is our unique genetic technology, our strong reputation, and our technical support that has won us a position in these markets," says Dr. Lobe.

The challenge - aside from getting new products to market and navigating regulatory approvals - is in making contact with collaborators and in building strategic alliances, something the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Trade has helped the company with.

"They opened the doors for us to export markets," said Dr. Lobe. "We are a young, emerging biotechnology company. Our major revenue-generating product is in development and the Ministry has helped in introducing us to companies that can assist in bringing our product to market and providing exposure that has encouraged investment in the company."

One of the major breakthroughs for the company came when it joined the Ministry on a trade mission to the UK in the spring of 2010.

"The products that we have on the market and are exporting, gained greater exposure and recognition during the mission," says Dr. Lobe.