Compositions and methods for promoting attachment of cells of endothelial cell lineage to medical devices

Patent Number: 7,531,505

Lack of proper endothelialization of vascular grafts can cause a variety of problems such as restenosis or thrombosis.  The current patent covers a coating for medical devices in which one side of the coating binds to the metallic surface of the device and the other side contains peptides that bind to endothelium or endothelial precursor cells. 

This patent is useful for makers of stents and other devices that come into contact with blood flow.  Patent # 7,172,758 addresses the same problem by claiming the use of antibodies on the medical device.  The current approach may be more practical since it is peptide based.

The first claim of the current patent is: "A biofunctional coating composition comprising at least one binding domain that specifically binds to a metallic surface material of a medical device ("surface-binding domain"), and at least one binding domain that specifically binds to cells of endothelial cell lineage ("endothelial-binding domain"); wherein the surface-binding domain comprises a peptide having a length of 16 to 60 amino acids comprising SEQ ID NO:5, and wherein the peptide can be modified to comprise one or more terminal modifications, and a modification to facilitate linking; wherein the endothelial-binding domain comprises a peptide having a length of 18 to 60 amino acids comprising SEQ ID NO:19; and wherein the peptide can be modified to comprise one or more terminal modifications, and a modification to facilitate linking, or one or more conservative substitutions in SEQ ID NO:19, and wherein the surface-binding domain is coupled to the endothelial-binding domain."

View this patent on the USPTO website.