Wound and cutaneous injury healing with a nucleic acid encoding perlecan

Patent Number: 7,141,551

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 FGF family members. It is also known that perlcan expression can modulate stem cell proliferation and differentiation.

In this patent the use of perlecan nucleotides for acceleration of cutanous wound healing is claimed. The patent is teaches that administration of nucleic acids encoding perlecan will result in expression of a heparan sulfate-decorated perlecan potein. While the patent only makes reference to stem cells as a cell to be transfected with perlecan, the fact that perlcan is a stem cell modulator is the reason why we included this patent.

The patent has 3 prophetic examples. The first involves accelerating healing after dental surgery, the second cutanous wound healing, and the third involves surgical implants.

Although wound healing is a major market, it is difficult to imagine the regulatory hurdles with getting nucleic acids approved for the indication.

View this patent on the USPTO website.