Targeting autophagy: do patents reveal a therapeutic potential?

Background: Most invasive and/or metastasizing cancers are resistant to apoptosis and, thus, to pro-apoptotic drugs, although certain drugs may display a level of sensitivity to pro-autophagic drugs. Autophagy dysfunction is also associated with neurodegeneration, ageing, and infectious and autoimmune diseases. Objective: To review those patents that have been filed in the specific field of autophagy. Methods: Use was made of two sources to identify pertinent patents: SciFinder Scholar (a division of the American Chemical Society giving access to CAPLUS and MEDLINE databases) and the European Patent Office (giving access to several databases including WIPO and WorldWide databases). Results/conclusions: A total of 18 patents have been published in the field of autophagy, 13 of which have appeared since 2006. Thus, this rising number of patents appears to reinforce the increasing therapeutic potential of targeting autophagy.