Amgen has developed a strong patent portfolio covering the hematopoietic stimulating cytokine called Stem Cell Factor. Subsequently it was demonstrated that stem cell factor is capable of stimulating a variety of other stem cells in addition to hematopoietic stem cells. As part of its IP portfolio covering stem cell factor, Amgen has patented antibodies to the cytokine. This current patent...
This patent covers the use of zFGF-5 (currently known as FGF-18) for expansion in vitro and in vivo of chondrocytes and neural stem cells. According to the Zymogenetics website, FGF-18 is out-licensed to Serono for use in cartilage repair and stroke. The product is in preclinical phases of testing. While the specification provides...
This patent covers the composition of matter for novel compounds that are useful for modulation of sirtuins. Sirtuins are a class of proteins that act as histone deacetylase inhibitors. Why there is great interest in modulating these enzymes is because the SIR2 members of this family have been demonstrated to play a critical role in life extension associated with...
This patent teaches how to generate large quantities of erythroid cells in vitro. This is useful for nuclear disasters or situations where large quantities of red blood cells are needed for transfusion purposes. This is a very interesting invention since it uses as the starting population blood cells and not bone marrow. The invention has 1 independent claim covering the method of generating...
While studies have already demonstrated the ability of adult stem cells and embryonic stem cells to differentiate into neurons, the possibility of modulating new neurons to integrate into existing neurons, as well as enhance activity, is the philosophical "next...
The concept of "de-differentiation" of cells is very attractive from a therapeutic perspective since it offers the possibility of generating autologous stem cells from somatic tissue. If one could devise a method for generating even minute numbers of totipotent stem cells from autologous tissue, these cells could be expanded and used to treat almost any illness. The use...
Although much effort in stem cell therapeutic development is being focused on administration of exogenous stem cells, one area that is generally being overlooked is methods of activating/expanding endogenous stem cells. It was recently published that the in vivo inhibition of the enzyme GSK-3 promotes hematopoietic stem cell self renewal (Trowbridge et al. Glycogen...
This patent teaches the use of a composition of matter called T-4 immune stimulating factor (TISF). This peptide was patented previously as a 50 kDa molecule in US patent # 5,616,554 as being useful for stimulation of CD4 T cell responses. The composition is derived from thymic cell lines and appears to be primarily immunostimulatory. In the current patent the use...
One of the important areas of drug development is protecting stem cells and healthy tissue from the damaging effects of cytotoxic chemotherapy and radiation therapy. In fact, a "stem cell therapy" that has become a multi-billion dollar product is the use of G-CSF to stimulate hematopoietic recovery after cancer therapy or bone marrow transplantation. In fact, numerous patents have been...
Perlecan is a proteoglycan (A molecule that contains both protein and glycosaminoglycans, which are a type of polysaccharide) that is found in the basement membrane. Upregulation of perlecan expression is observed during wound healing, as well as VEGF-mediated tumor angiogenesis. It is known that perlcan binds to numerous growth factors including