Regulators of the hedgehog pathway, compositions and uses related thereto

Patent Number: 7098196

This patent is useful for parties seeking to inhibit signal transduction pathways in stem cells, pathways such as the smoothened-dependent pathway. The patent is primarily important for the treatment of cancer, where one tries to inhibit stem cells that give rise to other tumor cells, although numerous uses in regenerative medicine are also possible. The patent has 5 independent claims, all directed toward composition of matter for inhibitors of the smoothened-dependent pathway. The authors published some conceptually relavent material that describes why these pathways are of importance to cancer stem cells (Taipale J et al. Nature. 2001 May 17;411(6835):349-54. " entitled: The Hedgehog and Wnt signalling pathways in cancer). The smoothened-dependent pathway is a series of intracellular cascades that are activated by hedgehog proteins, and are usually involved in epithelial-mesenchymal interactions, cell differentiation, cell proliferation and cell survival during development and also in cancer. Smoothened and patched act together as receptors for hedgehog molecules (sonic hedgehog, desert hedgehog, and Indian Hedgehog) in order to transduce developmental signals and also stimulate cellular proliferation and differentiation.

View this patent on the USPTO website.