Propanc Biopharma, Inc. announced that a Joint Research Collaboration Agreement has been established with the Universities of Jaén and Granada, Spain. Since late 2020, Mrs. Belén Toledo Cutillas MSc, has been investigating an important experimental thesis on the effects of proenzyme therapy and the impact on the tumor microenvironment, which is key to the development, invasion, metastatic spread and recurrence of solid tumors. The work is being conducted at the laboratory of Professor Macarena Perán PhD, who is the lead researcher on the project and is the second Joint Research Collaboration Agreement currently in progress with the two Spanish Universities.

To date, encouraging results demonstrates that proenzymes have specific effects on tumor cells and CSCs, but also other tumor elements in the tumor microenvironment. However, the most significant conclusion is that proenzymes cause a reversal of the malignant phenotype (observable characteristics) towards a normal, or benign state. This process of reversing the tumor phenotype, called differentiation, is how proenzymes exert anti-tumor, anti-cancer and anti-metastatic effects.

Therefore, proenzyme treatment may be considered differentiation therapy, which exerts these effects on malignant cells, but leaves healthy cells alone. To achieve these results, Mrs. Cutillas used integrated 3-dimensional bio-impressions of tumor cells from patients with advanced solid tumors, developed at the Centre for Biomedical Research, University of Granada, led by Professor Juan Marchal MD. Along with lead researcher, Professor Perán, and Mrs. Cutillas, additional research team members from the University of Jaén are assisting on the project, as well as Professor Marchal and Dr Maria Angel Garcia, from the University of Granada.

Propanc will own any intellectual property developed during the research, and publishing rights, in exchange for any net future royalties from intellectual property rights. PRP is a mixture of two proenzymes, trypsinogen and chymotrypsinogen from bovine pancreas administered by intravenous injection. A synergistic ratio of 1:6 inhibits growth of most tumor cells.

Examples include kidney, ovarian, breast, brain, prostate, colorectal, lung, liver, uterine and skin cancers.